The Game Called 'Love'
by FireflyLake
Summary: After years of leading Amy on Sonic reveals to her that he has a girlfriend. Shocked and heartbroken Amy does her best to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. With the support of her friends she tries to put her first love behind her, eventually developing feelings for a certain ebony hedgehog. But what happens when Sonic comes back asking her for a chance to be with her?
1. Intro

Amy always spent her time daydreaming about her blue prince and chasing after him. She would dream about their wedding, life and the kids they would have together. He never really reciprocated her feelings though. The shock she felt could not compare to the pain of how heartbroken she was when she found out her beloved Sonic had a girlfriend. Amy thought they were on a date, but Sonic saw it as just him and her hanging out. When he got a call from another girl Amy's world came shattering down around her. After that day things between him and her were different.


	2. The Road to Recovery

Tails was following a familiar floppy eared bunny and pink hedgehog, trying to balance all of their bags.

"Thanks Cream that was a lot of fun! I really needed that." Amy hugged her friend as she called for a cab. The two girls giggled as they waited for a cab to pull up, forgetting their two tailed friend.

"Um. Girls? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but could you take your bags? They're a bit heavy." Tails struggled to hold all their bags from the shopping spree they just went on.

"Oh dear! Sorry Honey, here let me take some of those." Cream quickly grabbed some of her things, as did Amy.

"We're sorry!" The girls said in unison. They hadn't realized how many bags they had until they took them from him.

Tails just sighed and smiled. How could he be mad at them? After all not only were they his friend and girlfriend, but he had blindly offered to carry their things.

"We're all meeting up at the spa tomorrow, are you sure you don't want to come?" Cream handed Amy the last of her bags as she got in the cab.

"You know what? I think I will. I should get out more and have fun. I'll see you girls tomorrow!" Amy waved to Cream and Tails as the cab pulled away. Once she couldn't see them anymore she stopped waving and let out a sigh. Her girlfriends had been trying all week to cheer her up, but she was just too crushed by the turn of events. She stared out the window remembering what happened after that call.

* * *

 _Sonic hung up and turned around to a very angry Amy._

 _"Sonic, who was that?" Amy demanded to know who the female was she heard interrupting their date. She tapped her foot with her hands on her hips waiting for an answer.  
_  
 _"Oh! I forgot to tell you, that was my new girlfriend!" He smiled and started going off about her.  
_  
 _"Your new… girlfriend?" Amy froze up unsure of how she felt.  
_  
 _Sonic stopped talking when he saw her start to cry. "Hey Amy, what's wrong?" As he went to put a hand on her shoulder she hit it away.  
_  
 _"I can't believe you Sonic! Why are you going on dates with me if you have a girlfriend! How could you lead me on like this?" People started to stare at them as she cried.  
_  
 _"You thought this was a date? I'm sorry Amy, but I never considered our hangouts to be dates. I don't even like you like that at all." He started to back away slowly as she was drawing more attention to them.  
_  
 _Amy grew upset with him the longer he put off answering her question. "Why did you lead me on Sonic? That's not fair!"  
_  
 _Sonic put his hands up in defense. "I didn't think you were that hung up on me, I had no idea you were so serious!"_  
 _  
Amy became angry and hurt and began to cry harder. "So you think that gives you a right to play with my heart like this?!"  
_  
 _His phone started to ring again; it was his girlfriend calling him again. "Will you stop crying? Look I gotta go Amy. My girl is waiting for me. Sorry you misunderstood, but I'm out." Sonic took off at lightning speed leaving Amy on her own._

* * *

The cab pulled up outside of an apartment building and let Amy out. She carried her bags into her room and placed them on the table. It was kind of cramped, but it was home to her, at least for a little while longer. It had been a week, but she still hadn't cleared out all their pictures together. She plopped down on her bed and continued to sort through pictures. All the pictures of her friends she was putting into a box to be moved; the ones of her and Sonic she began throwing away. One picture caught her attention in particular. It was of last year's beach party. Tails was hugging Cream from behind and talking to Silver who was holding hands with Blaze. In the left corner she saw Rouge holding Knuckles above the water. Smack in the center was Sonic, her and Shadow. The two had been arguing and she had wrapped her arms around both of them trying to keep the peace.

Amy couldn't help but giggle at Shadow's grumpy face. "I wonder what he's been up to?" Her train of thought was cut off when the phone rang. She rushed to the phone and picked up. "Amy Rose here! What's up?" She tried to sound cheerful, but her tone changed after she heard the voice on the other line.

"Hey Ames, it's me. Look I'm just calling to let you know I can't help you move. I know I told Tails to let you know, but I wasn't sure if he did."

Hearing Sonic's voice made her heart drop a bit. She did her best to sound like it didn't hurt her though. "Oh Sonic! Yeah I actually forgot I had even asked you. Thanks for letting me know though!" It was awful talking to him.

"Haha no problem! Oh, real quickly before I go..."

Amy was holding her breath as she waited for their conversation to be over.

"No hard feelings right?"

Amy gave him a quick 'yeah' and then they hung up. She stared at the phone for a minute then let her breath go. "Come on Amy, you're a strong girl. You'll get through this. Just focus on the now." Closing her eyes she kept repeating this before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Right! You've got this!" Amy encouraged herself as she threw her memories of her and Sonic in the trash. "No more being hung up on nothing." She kept encouraging herself as she packed.

A couple of hours passed and she was tired out on her couch. Boxes of memories, accessories and other small things were all stacked up near her door. Looking around she still had a lot to pack. She got up and made herself a cup of tea to relax and looked at the calendar. In a few weeks she'd be moving out of her apartment and the city. It seemed a foolish choice now, but she couldn't take it back, she had already paid for everything and let the landlord know she was leaving.  
She shook her head and drank her tea before heading off to bed. "Tomorrow is another day." Amy yawned sleepily before passing out.

* * *

 _ **Sorry, just updating and editing everything that I can. I went back and read this story again before posting another chapter. After I edit chapter 18 I will start posting again so keep checking back and let me know of any mess ups you find, thank you.**_


	3. The Encounter

The following morning Amy woke up early taking a quick shower and putting on some coffee. Thinking about her plans for the day she felt refreshed and rejuvenated already. Just as she got her coffee her cellphone started ringing.

"Hello?" There wasn't even a second wasted before a reply came.

"AMY! Hey Sugar! Sorry if I woke you, but Cream just let me know you're coming with us today! We're actually all staying at a hotel, you wanna come?!" It was Rouge.

Amy hadn't seen her for quite a while, but they had been texting almost everyday. "Sure Rouge! What time do I need to be ready by? Oh and how long is the stay?"

Rouge gave her the information and hung up with a 'See ya later Baby Doll'.

Amy got out a suitcase and packed for a three night stay. She went to the bathroom with a few outfits after she realized she was still only in a towel. Four outfits later she finally settled on a white tube top, a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a denim jacket tied around her waist. Looking in the mirror at herself she realized just how much she had changed. Her hair was longer going almost midway down her back and her bangs also grew a bit. She couldn't help, but let her mind wander and imagine what Sonic's girlfriend looked like.

Amy suddenly felt sadder. A thought popped into her head as she looked at her reflection. **Am I not pretty enough?** With this thought in her head she began styling her hair and putting on make-up.

A white bat with long hair down to her tail leaned against her jeep. Red eyeshadow with black mascara and red lips. She wore black heels and leggings along with a skin tight red tank-top that showed her cleavage off nicely and stopped just above her bottom. She chewed on some gum as she waited for her friend impatiently.

Fifteen minutes passed before she saw a pink hedgehog exit the building in front of her. Hair in a ponytail with her bangs pinned to the side, mascara and lipstick the same shade of pink as her hair. "Amy?" The bat questioned and took another look. "Amy it is you! Over here Doll Face!"

Amy ran over with her suitcase in hand. "Rouge, it's good to see you!" The two friends hugged and after putting Amy's bag in the back, headed to the hotel.

"So sexy, how have you been? I haven't heard from you in a while." Rouge winked as she looked at her bestfriend.

Amy blushed at the compliment and tried to ignore her question. "Th-thank you! You really think so? I wasn't sure about what looked good."

Rouge raised an eyebrow bewildered. "Believe me girl, you're lookin' damn fine."

Amy was relieved as her friend started going on a rant about her. "Hahaha! Thanks Rouge, but you look way better than me, I mean look at you! Girls everywhere would kill for a body like yours!" The two carried on like this the rest of the way to the hotel.

* * *

Once they arrived they met up with Blaze and Cream. The four shared a suite with two beds. Immediately they unpacked and picked bed partners, naturally it was Cream and Blaze in one bed and Rouge and Amy in the other. It was only a matter of minutes before the entire suite had been rearranged to their liking. The girls gathered around the counter and made some drinks.

"Are you serious? All we can make are some rum and cokes?" Rouge pouted going through the fridge.

"Don't worry Batty, we'll get you some vodka later." Blaze laughed and promised her friend.

"Thanks Blaze, you're exactly the little kitty I knew I could count on. I could have sworn I told Knuckles to pack it for me. I guess he's called that for a reason, he's too much of a knuckle head to remember to pack my liquors!" The girls laughed at her corny insult.

"You think that's bad? Silver took my liquor! Just because he wanted it!" Blaze scowled at her boyfriends greediness. "I swear I'll kill him when I get home." Cream put a hand on her friend's shoulder trying to calm her down.

"How about you Cream? How are things with the little engineer?" Rouge teased her rabbit friend.

They had only just started going out. "He's not exactly little anymore Rouge, he's taller than you now. Things are great though. He bought me a promise ring and has been helping me out with starting my own cake shop." She gave a sheepish smile and blushed thinking about Tails.

Amy was then asked about how her and her crush Sonic we're doing.

"I bet she's got him wrapped around her finger!" Rouge made her assumption, elbowing Blaze. They laughed waiting for her reply.

Cream was the only one who knew because she caught Amy crying on her way home the same day she found out about Sonic's girlfriend. She shot Rouge and Blaze a look and whispered, "Ixnay on the Sonicay".

Amy tried to hold herself together as best as she could. "Sonic told me last week he got a girlfriend." She gave them a weak smile as she told them.

Blaze covered her mouth and Rouge opened her mouth dumbfounded.

"It's okay really. I'm happy for him!"

Rouge looked at her upset. "Are you serious!? If he has a girlfriend then what's he doing flirting with you!?" Rouge started getting mad to the point where her wings snapped open.

"I asked him about that and he said he didn't realize that I was serious about him. He thought it was a little crush and that I'd get over it easily. I guess that means he flirts with lots of girls and is used to it being a casual thing. I'm not saying that's what it is, but that's how it feels." Amy looked at her rum and coke with a frown on her face. **Who am I kidding? I know that's what it is! I was foolish to think otherwise.** She was caught off guard by fingers snapping in her face.

"Earth to Amy! Hello! Anyone in there?" Rouge called into her ears. Amy snapped out of it instantly. "Jeez. You went into outer space on me. Bet you didn't hear a thing I said."Rouge sighed as her pink friend hung her head in embarrassment. "Well there's not much we can do about him now. How's about we work on you instead?"

Blaze excitedly nodded in agreement. "This is great seeing how there's a luau going on tomorrow night and the night after."

Amy was a bit lost. "What does a luau have to do with anything?"

"You could put yourself out there and maybe find a cuter guy than Sonic." Cream encouraged her friend.

Amy smiled at her friends and agree to let them help her.

* * *

After some lunch and much chit chat the girls decide to head down to the spa. They all got massages and facial masks before heading into the spa's community hot spring. There were two other girls in the spring when they arrived so they kept to one side. The girls gawked at the size of Rouge's chest.

"Your chest is HUGE!" Blaze noted.

Cream Sunk herself a little bit under the water to hide her smaller chest.

Amy poked them making Rouge blush. "Are these things real? I mean are they naturally that big?" Amy was impressed, but Rouge became aggravated with her comment, splashing her in reply.

Soon the four were having a small splashing contest.

"Hey, knock it off will ya!?" The girls turned around to see a very angry fox and squirrel.

Rouge looked them up and down before arching an eyebrow. "Who shoved a stick up your asses?" Rouge snickered making Blaze laugh.

Cream hid behind Amy who tried to step between them. "Hey we're sorry for upsetting you guys, we were just having some fun." Amy threw her hands up apologetically.

The fox just scoffed after being whispered to. "Sorry about my friend's attitude, she's just a bit cranky. We'll be going now, enjoy your night." The squirrel apologized for her friend and gave them a quick smile before walking away.

"Tsk. How lame. Anyone else notice the fake attitude?" Rouge was annoyed and started getting out.

The girls went in and rinsed off before getting pedicures. "Whose up for some fun? Or at least a good old fashioned sleep over?" Rouge grabbed a coat and her keys.

Blaze and Cream opted to get the movie and a few snacks while Rouge and Amy were in charge of liquor and more snacks. They stopped at the liquor store first and got a couple of bottles of rum, vodka and tequila. On their way back to the hotel they stopped into a CVS to get some things. Rouge was busy getting all sorts of snacks while Amy got some aspirin for the morning, some groceries for the next two days and a bag of coffee.

Once she got everything she went to head over to Rouge, but was distracted by a familiar looking hedge hog. She couldn't help, but try to get a closer look. "Sonic?" Amy was about to walk over when she saw the fox from earlier.

"Fiona! What took ya so long? I've been waiting outside for half an hour."

Amy hid behind a shelf as they walked by. Once he got closer she could tell it wasn't him by the green quills and smell of smoke. She let out a sigh then a gasp as she turned around only to be face to face with the squirrel from before.

"Don't even think about it."

Amy blinked in confusion. "What?"

The girl became irritated. "I saw you staring at Scourge. Back off he's with Fiona."

Amy's eyes widened in realization. "No! You've got it all wrong! I didn't mean to stare, it's just he looked like somebody I know and I was wondering if it was him. Obviously it's not him, but yeah." At this point she was nervous under the other girl's harsh stare.

The girl finally backed off once she saw Rouge coming over. "Wasn't that one of the chicks from earlier?" Rouge questioned with a piece of pocky in her mouth.

"Yeah she- Hey! Rouge, you better be planning on paying for that!" Amy scolded her, but it was in vein seeing how Rouge was able to flirt with the clerk and convinced him to let her have it for free.

* * *

The girls stayed up all night and watched all of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' all the while taking shots. Cream was the first to pass out so the other three played truth or dare. Blaze dared Amy to call up Sonic and give him what for, but she opted out, going to bed instead.

While she sat on the bed waiting for Rouge she thought about Sonic. **Maybe I should call him? What have I got to lose?** She picked up her cell and dialed his number.

"Hello?" A familiar voice picked up the phone, but it wasn't Sonic's.

"Hey Sally, who is it that called me?" Sonic's voice could be heard in the background.

"It's no one. I think it was an accident." With that the call ended.

 **Sally? That must be his girlfriend... Her voice sounds familiar...** Then it hit her, Sally was the squirrel she had met earlier that day.

* * *

 _ **Another edit down though I only did some minor editing...**_


	4. Moving On

Amy dropped her phone in shock. She just met Sonic's girlfriend, the one he fell for over her. Amy's heart broke again. **She's way out of my league...** Amy thought about how different the two girls were. **She's intimidating and confident... Her boobs are bigger than mine not to mention she's also skinnier than me...** It was three in the morning when Amy finally fell asleep after crying.

In the kitchen Cream had put on some coffee and started making pancakes. Blaze and Rouge dragged themselves out of their rooms holding their heads. Blaze pinned her hair up in a messy bun and walked over to the trash can. Rouge let her self sink in one of the cushioned chairs at the counter. Noticing three glasses of water and aspirin on the counter Rouge took one set.

"You should thank Amy. She must have left them out last night for all of us. I took mine an hour ago." Cream continued to flip a pancake.

"She's a sweet girl. I feel bad for her." Rouge held her head as she talked.

"Why what's wrong? She have a worse hangover than me?" Blaze grunted taking the medicine as well.

"No, the poor girl cried herself to sleep last night. She was drunk and called Sonic. His girlfriend picked up the phone and on top of that, she's the chipmunk we saw last night." The girls frowned at Rouge's information.

It was around noon when Amy finally woke up. She went to the bathroom and freshened herself up before seeing the girls. After she had some breakfast and her head was feeling better she went out on the balcony with the others. "Morning guys, sorry I woke up so late."

The girls greeted their tired friend and pulled out a seat for her. "What's the plan for today?" She laid her back waiting for a response.

"For now we wait for our hangovers to go away, then we're going shopping for you." Blaze explained before drinking more coffee.

"I have clothes, I don't need to-" Rouge put a finger to her mouth.

"Not a peep from you girly. We're getting you something sexy and you're going to flirt with guys later tonight at the luau." Rouge removed her finger from a stupefied Amy.

The girls weren't kidding about helping Amy get over Sonic. Phase one of their plan was to take a before shot of her. Her hair was down and frizzy. She had no make up on, a t-shirt and shorts. Blaze went out and got her all dressed up for the luau. She wore a grass skirt, sandals, a red bikini top with a white flower print on one side and a lei. Cream was put in charge of fixing her hair up. She curled her hair and made her bangs wavy. As a finishing touch she put a red flower in her hair. The last part was left up to Rouge. She did her mascara and gave her a bold red lipstick. To top it off she added some lip gloss and sprayed a little perfume on her. Amy had been transformed from ordinary-lazy-day girl to sexy-luau chick.

Amy was visibly embarrassed by her photos. Blaze had posted them online and already Amy had been getting tons of likes and comments.

"See how many guys think you're cute Amy? Now come on! Let's go to the luau!" Blaze cheered and dragged her friends out to the pool where everything was set up.

"See those guys over there? I'm going to be watching you, so go talk to them!" Rouge pushed Amy towards a blue wolf and a brown bat with a black mohawk.

"U-um... E-excuse me, but could one of you recommend a drink for me? I want something strong, but sweet." Amy nervously asked the two and batted her eyelashes.

The guys both blushed and immediately offered to buy her a drink. For the first time Amy felt like she was free to feel however she wanted, not that she couldn't before. After two drinks and a good conversation she started to forget her crush on Sonic.

"Why don't we go out sometime, you're a lot of fun." The bat suggested handing her a piece of paper.

Amy felt her cheeks burning. "That sounds like fun." The two exchanged numbers and parted ways.

"So Doll Face, how'd it go?" Rouge winked at her friend as she rejoined their group.

Amy blushed and smiled happily. "I got his number. His name is Max and he said he'd like to take me out sometime!" Amy was so happy, but wasn't sure why.

"So what does Bat Boy do?" Blaze asked eagerly.

"He plays professional lacrosse." She announced it dreamily.

Blaze grumpily pulled out twenty bucks handing it over to Rouge.

"Told you, just because he has a mohawk that doesn't mean he's in a band. Didn't Silver ever teach you that?" Rouge laughed at her friend.

Amy had spent all night texting Max and hung out with him here and there through out the next day. Max offered to take her home the next day so that they could get to know each other better then go on a date. Amy let out a huge squeal.

"What is it?!" Rouge asked startled by her pink sleeping buddy.

"Sorry Rouge, I didn't mean to wake you, but look! Max wants to take me home tomorrow then go on a date!"

Rouge wanted to be mad at her for waking her up, but seeing her happy she just sighed in defeat, giving her a quick smile before going back to sleep.

* * *

When morning came Amy pulled her hair back in a ponytail and applied a light pink lipstick and gloss. She was wearing a peach sundress with orange floral designs that Cream had bought for her and sandals. She gave the girls a hug good-bye then went out to wait for Max. He pulled up and greeted her with a hug. They drove back to her place so she could drop her things off then decided to hit the town.

"Hey Amy, wanna get some ice cream?" Max put his arm around her while he parked the car at an ice cream parlor.

"Yeah! Ice cream sounds great right about now." She smiled with excitement.

Max flew out and over to her side opening the door for her. "After you." Max being polite made her blush and stutter so she nodded her thanks and got out.

There was absolutely nothing that could ruin her day with Max, until she saw blue and brown. She looked away hoping not to be noticed, but she was too late.

"Hey Ames! Over here, it's me! Sonic!" The blue hedgehog ran over with his girlfriend. When he approached her he was confused as to who the bat was with his arm around her.

"Max this is Sonic. Sonic this is Max. I met him at a luau the other night." Amy was nervous again now that Sonic was in front of her. She shifted her eyes from Sonic to Sally. Maybe if I was more like her... What am I thinking? Stupid... Stupid... Stupid... Amy mentally started hitting herself in the head.

Sonic had been talking to Max so Amy took the opportunity to start a conversation with Sally. "Hi, I'm Amy. I met you at the hotel spa the other night?" Amy nervously approached her.

Sally looked at Amy with an almost blank expression. She appeared to have been walking around all day and seemed tired. "Oh, are you the one that was staring at Scourge?"

Amy bit her lip for a second not wanting any confrontation. "About that, like I was saying, I thought he was someone I know and was only trying to see if it was him without making a fool of myself. I didn't mean to spy or stare. I would never do that or try to take someone's boyfriend." Amy explained herself and watched as Sally's expression changed.

"I'm sorry for giving you a hard time. Scourge is Fiona's boyfriend, they have a sort of rocky relationship. She came to me for help with him because its been very stressful for her lately. That's the reason she was grumpy with you and your friends. I've been keeping my eyes on Scourge lately for her, seeing how he has a habit of going home with other girls. I was kind of on alert when I saw you looking at him." Sally apologized to her and the two started to hit it off.

"Hey Amy, we're having another beach party, you two should come!" Sonic flashed a huge smile of excitement.

"We'd love to! Oh is that why you two were out today?" Amy asked out of pure curiosity.

"Yeah we've been inviting everyone we know." Sonic gave them the date and headed off with Sally in his arm.

* * *

"So how do you know him?" Max asked her with a hint of jealousy as they got their ice cream and walked back to the car.

"He's an old friend of mine." Amy tried to say as little as possible about him.

Max had other questions for her, but decided against asking her.

When Amy got home she got herself cleaned up and headed over to bed. She stared at the picture of everyone from the last beach party. She sighed thinking about how perfect Sally and Sonic looked together. **This would have been way easier if she had been ugly and mean. She's got a gorgeous body and she's understanding! Ugh... Well Sonic loves her and she seems to love him so I'm not gonna dwell on this any longer. I'm going to be happy for them and move on!** Just as she had silently made her resolve Max shot her a few text messages to which she happily responded.

* * *

Another edit down! It's the small things like Mat that bother be. Fixed to Max*


	5. Beach Party Disaster

The weeks leading up to the party Amy had been trying to move forward in her relationship with Max, but all he wanted to do was talk about her relationship with Sonic. She was supposed to be getting over him and he was making it all, but possible. They went on double dates twice and anytime the two shared a laugh together Max would get in her face about it saying how she seems to like him still. Amy told him their past and how he turned her down and said she was over him. Max would believe her, but then he started trying to compete with him.

By the time the beach party came around Amy wasn't sure she wanted to go. Everyone showed up from friends, family to even friends of friends and their families. This was by far the biggest party Sonic had thrown. Amy sighed in relief as she spotted Rouge and Knuckles.

"Rouge! Knuckles!" Amy called out to them as she ran up giving them both a hug. While Max flew over Rouge winked at Knuckles to distract him with a conversation.

Rouge dragged Amy to a more quiet area for them to talk. "Amy you actually came! I almost thought you wouldn't." Rouge was reffering to the last text she got from her saying she might not come.

"Yeah, well Max seems to be a bit more level headed now so I thought it might be okay to bring him to the party. Plus we told Sonic and Sally we would come already when they asked us." Amy held her arm unsure of her decision.

"He hasn't hurt you has he or been mean?" Rouge was worried about where her friend's relationship was going.

"Oh heavens no! He's never layed a hand on me. He just get's very worked up over Sonic and competitive." Amy explained further to Rouge how their relationship was when Rouge stopped her and pointed over to a volleyball tournament going on.

Sonic had rallied up all of the guys and started a game of extreme volleyball where they could pretty much attack the ball. Everything seemed fine at first glance until you really focused on how Max had been returning the ball. Sonic had to have picked up on his competitive behavior because he started hitting back with just as much force. After the game Max and Sonic made it a point to see who was better. Amy sighed and backed away from the crowd that was picking sides and cheering them on.

She was laying down peacefully getting some sun when a pain came from seamingly nowhere on her forehead. "Ouch! Hey what's the big idea?!" Amy was quickly angered then confused by the hedgehog in front of her.

"What are you doing over here?" It was Shadow the hedgehog. He stared down at her with a somewhat annoyed and yet bored expression.

"Sh-shadow!" Amy gasped not expecting him to be there. "What are you doing here?!" She didn't realize she had been making a face until Shadow grimmaced at her question. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I just meant I wasn't expecting to see you here, you know because you're not on the best of terms with Sonic."

Shadow let out an annoyed sigh. "You made me promise to come to all group activities last time. Or did you forget?" He asked her hiding a bit of hurt in his eyes as he looked away from her.

Amy's eyes grew wide as she remembered the day.

* * *

 _Shadow had been laying on the ground with his arms behind his head. Amy ran over to him disturbing his peace. "What do you want Amy?" He turned on his side trying to ignore the pinkette. He could almost feel her pouting behind him and sat up in annoyance to face her._

 _She stopped pouting and smiled at him. "We're going swimming want to come?" She had been expecting him to agree and was now looking at him with hopeful eyes. So when he gave her a blunt 'no' she froze in confusion. "Why not?!" She began to argue with him._

 _Ultimately their argument ended with her hitting him and threatening to get Rouge over to them to pick him up and drop him in the water. Shadow reluctantly followed her to the rest of the group, skulking as he did so. Half way there he stopped making her ask what was wrong._

 _"Why do you want me to go so badly?" He didn't really care he was more annoyed._

 _Amy paused for a moment before answering. "You're not our enemy anymore so why act like it? I know you like to act all tough and like you're bad and all that, but deep down I know you're good. What you did for us proves it! The others may still be a bit unsure of it, but I know the truth. Plus you saved my life so in return I'm helping you make friends with everyone!" Amy beamed at him and took his hand dragging him along._

 _"What if I don't want to make friends with anyone?" Shadow was taken back by what she had said, but didn't want to show it._

 _"Then my threat from earlier still stands. You're hanging out with all of us from now on. If Knuckles can do it then you can too! Besides we're already friends so you have to come when I'm there to see me!" She kept dragging him along happily. Shadow just looked away from her and mumbled a 'fine'._

* * *

"I'm going to be honest and tell you I didn't expect you to actually listen to me." Amy admitted and could see the aggravation growing in his eyes. "But I'm glad you came. I was actually wondering how you have been doing."

Shadow's intense eyes softened a little. "I've been fine. I've been hanging out with Knuckles, Espio and Silver more. This whole friends thing is more complicated than it looks." He admitted to her his trouble being friends and further discussed with her about his friendships.

As they were getting into an actual conversation Max walked over and interupted. "Amy we're doing a boat race, come on." He started to drag her off excitedly and determined to win.

Shadow followed seeing Amy's expression of distress. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about Max and felt the need to follow. He watched as they got into the boat next to Sonic who was waiting for Sally. Just as she was about to board he stopped her. "Hey, Sally do you mind if I take your place?"

Sally gave him a puzzled look, but agreed thinking that this was an attempt on his part to actively make friends. Sonic had invited Shadow after all, only because he knew Amy wanted him to make friends with everyone.

As the race started Sonic started to protest, but Shadow made him go. Sonic was confused and couldn't focus on the race with Shadow next to him. "What are you doing here exactly? I thought you hated these events?"

Shadow just scowled at him not liking his presence near him either. "I do." He was blunt and didn't want to talk about it. Shadow kept his eyes on Amy and from time to time when she looked over she would shoot him a smile and wave.

Amy looked over at Sonic and Shadow as they neared some rocks. "Max we should slow down. There's not enough room for two boats to pass through." She tried tugging on his arm, but he ignored her warning. As they neared the rocks and Sonic's boat the two clashed with Max and Amy's boat ending up shooting in front.

"Look! We did it Amy! We're in first!" Max started laughing but stopped when he didn't hear Amy. "Amy?" He looked around before seeing a blur of black and blue jumping into the water. It finally hit him that she had fallen off.

Everyone watched as Sonic and Shadow came speeding back with what looked to be Amy. Shadow carried Amy in his arms off the boat and shouted for someone to call an ambulence. Max flew in after her, but was stopped short by Sonic.

"What are you doing!? Get out of my way I need to see Amy!" Max yelled and tried to fly up out of the way only to be pulled down by his foot.

Sonic looked at him angrily. "There's no way you're going near her! You're the reason she ended up in the water like that!" Sonic refused to let the bat get by him.

The two of them stayed there arguing while Shadow got into the ambulance with Amy. She had hit her head on the rock and lost some blood, not to mention inhaled a lot of water. They were able to resuscitate her, but she still had some injuries that needed to be looked at. Shadow's phone blew up with texts from everyone checking in on her and telling him to stay with her until they got to the hospital.

* * *

 ** _Another edit down only several more to go, let me know if I missed something!_**


	6. Hospital Recap

Emerald eyes opened up to be greeted by a dark figure. Shadow slept next to the bed where Amy laid. As she sat up she held her throbbing head, feeling it wrapped in bandages. She winced at the pain and let out a small gasp. Shadow's ears twitched hearing her sit up. He opened his eyes seeing that Amy had woken up as well.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He watched her as she was lightly touching the back of her head. She didn't seem to notice him so he cleared his throat making her jump.

"Oh, sorry Shadow. I'm feeling alright, I guess. Well, I mean my head hurts like all living hell, but that's about it." She slowly put her head back down to gain some comfort. A few moments of silence passed before she broke it again. "What happened back at the beach?"

Shadow sighed and gave her a serious look. "Our boats clashed and you almost drowned. After you fell into the water Sonic and I jumped in to get you." He saw her give him a puzzling look. "Well, I jumped in. Sonic took a spare rope tying one end to the boat and the other end to his wrist before he followed." Amy giggled at this. **Hey, I tried to be nice about him.** Shadow reasoned with himself and continued on. "When we reached you, you had already taken in a lot of water and lost a bit of blood. We brought you back up and to the shore. They gave you CPR and drove you off here." Shadow saw her try to sit up again and helped her.

Amy remembered coming to a few times in the ambulance. It was still a bit hazy to her. "Oh! What about Max? What happened?" **I hope he's okay!** Amy watched as Shadow's eyes turned from tiredness to disgust. "Where is Max? Did... Did something happen?" She was hesitant, but her curiosity got the best of her.

Shadow took a moment to compose himself and calm down. "Your idiot boyfriend didn't even attempt to go get you. He watched us get you and tried to follow as I brought you to the medics. Sonic stopped him and the two got into a fight. Sonic didn't like the idea of him being near you after he risked your safety just to win a stupid race." Shadow gave her a serious look. "Amy he's not safe for you to be around. Rouge told me all about his pathetic jealousy outbursts. You don't deserve that."

She looked down at her hands. **He's right. What am I doing? I could have died today and he didn't do a damn thing!** Amy shook her head coming back to reality. "You're right. I was stupid for rushing into a relationship like that. I just wanted to be with someone." **I just wanted to get over Sonic...** Tears started forming in her eyes. She could see Shadow becoming uncomfortable so she wiped her tears away.

Before either of them had a chance to speak again her phone vibrated letting her know she had a text message. Upon opening it up she realized it was from Max. He was letting her know that he was going to be waiting outside her apartment for her when she got out of the hospital. After a moment of silence she looked to Shadow for support. She sent him a text back saying it was over and asked him to leave. There were several texts after that, but she put the phone down.

Shadow watched Amy begin to cry again. He felt uneasy not knowing what to do. His first and only real friend was hurt and crying in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it, but watch and feel useless. "You okay Rose?" Cautiously he put a hand on her back and rubbed her.

Amy shook her head 'no'. After a few minutes she began to calm down again. "Shadow... I don't want to go home alone. I'm moving tomorrow, but I don't know what to do if I see him there." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. **Please don't leave me alone with Max...**

It was strange to him, but he felt a sort of responsibility and loyalty to her for having faith in him. The last person he had ever really been close to was Maria, but she was long gone. "I'll take you back in the morning. How much stuff do you have left to move?" Amy's eyes widened at his gesture. "What?" Shadow looked away blushing in embarrassment at her staring.

Amy gave him a small smile. "I don't have too much more." She felt a lot better knowing Shadow would be there with her to make sure she was okay. "Thanks, you really are a good friend."

* * *

 ** _Fixed a few errors and added a little more to it._**


	7. Moving Day

Shadow stayed up talking to Amy until she fell asleep. He turned the lights out in her hospital room and walked out to the front counter. "May I have the release forums for Amy Rose?" He waited a couple of seconds before the woman at the front desk gave him the packet to sign. He finished the paper work rather fast so he went out and rented a wheelchair for her just to be on the safe side.

When Amy finally woke up again Shadow was waiting there for her with a wheelchair. She protested saying she didn't need one, but when she stood up she had to sit right back down. She was very dizzy and still tired. Reluctantly she let Shadow help her into the wheelchair. He threw a paper bag on her lap and brought her over to the bathroom.

Amy looked down into the bag to see a man's sweat pants, t-shirt, boxers, socks and shoes. "What is all this?" Amy looked up at him confused.

"Clothes. Or were you planning on keeping the hospital gown on?" Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of her blushing. "Your clothes are still wet so I went out and got something real fast for you, just until we get your stuff."

"Oh, thank you. I wasn't thinking." She was embarrassed, but thankful. She heard him say 'yeah whatever' under his breath as she pushed herself into the bathroom to change. **Well that was rude. Hm? Are these...** Taking the clothes out she realized they were his. **He must have gone back home when I was sleeping to get me all of this.** A light blush made its way to her cheeks. Standing up she put the clothes on. It was a nice change as the hospital was rather cold. Grabbing on to the sink to balance herself she looked in the mirror.

Here hair was a mess, she had bandages all around the top of her head, her make-up had washed away and she was a bit paler than normal. His white shirt was twice her size and the grey sweatpants were baggy and a bit too long. She couldn't believe she was wearing his clothes, even more than that she couldn't believe how comfy they were. She filled the sink with water and splashed some in her face to wake up.

"Shadow, can you give me my bag?" Amy called through the door. She was hoping Rouge made sure she had everything in it before dropping it off the other day. He knocked on the door and waited for her to give him the 'ok' to come in. He handed her the bag and watched as she rummaged through it. She took out a few elastics and some make-up.

She pulled used the elastics on the shirt, rolling it up a bit below her chest and tying a small bow on the side to keep it in place. She applied a small amount of light pink lipstick before putting everything away. There was nothing she could do about her hair with the bandages so she just pulled it all to one side over her right shoulder.

Shadow stared at her confused. "What's with the get up?" Amy gave him a sad look in reply and lowered her eyes to the ground. He felt slight guilt for saying that, forgetting that girls tend to be a bit sensitive. "I mean we're just getting your stuff..." His words weren't helping the situation. "A-anyways, are you ready to go? You should sit back down and I'll go get your stuff." He left quickly to gather up her things and get some bandages to replace the ones she had on.

* * *

Amy had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn't heard Shadow talking to her, heck she barely noticed him help her into his truck. By the time she had focused in on what was going on around her he had stopped talking. From the looks of it they were almost back to her place. A feeling of unease had started swelling up in the pit of her stomach as she thought about having to deal with Max.

Noticing a rather pale Amy, Shadow slowed down and pulled over. "You okay Rose? You don't look so good." He looked down to her hands where her cell phone sat. As her color began to change from a pale pink to a greenish hue he got out and opened the door for her. Shadow helped steady Amy as she walked behind a tree out of site. He held her hair behind her and cautiously rubbed her back as she threw up.

She couldn't remember the last time this had happened. She was so stressed out that her body just didn't want to function right. It was the end of summer so it was still quite warm, but for some reason she couldn't stop shivering. When her stomach finally settled Shadow brought her to a drugstore close by so she could get something to relieve her nausea as well as some water.

The dark hedgehog let out a sigh as he stared at the road ahead. "Don't worry about him." Glancing over at her confused look he rolled his eyes. "I'll take care of everything. Just stay close to me and he wont bother you." He watched carefully as the color started coming back to her. **That's good. She's not so stressed now.** His train of thought was cut off as they pulled into the parking lot.

* * *

Max was pacing back and forth in front of Amy's apartment. As he leaned up against her door he saw a flash of pink turn the corner and start heading up the stairwell to the apartment. Originally he had planned on begging for forgiveness, but that changed when he saw the black and red hedgehog walking with her. His anger boiled looking at him with his hand on the hip of 'his girl'.

Amy hid partly behind Shadow, clenching the side of his shirt to help balance herself. Max looked furious and had came at them screaming only to be silenced by Shadow's fist. Everything happened so fast. After Max was knocked down Shadow threatened to call the police if he came near her again. He left after cussing them out and saying he wouldn't waste his time.

Shadow left her to lean up against the railing while he went inside and grabbed a couple of boxes. He made a few trips like this with Amy off in her own little world. Pretty soon his trunk was filled with all of her stuff. "Rose you ready to go?" He waved a hand in front of her face.

Shaking her head she snapped out of her daze. "Hm? Yeah. Thanks for the help Shadow." She offered a sheepish smile as he put his arm around her to help steady her walking. She knew it was nothing more than him helping her, but for some reason or another she felt embarrassed and couldn't help, but blush. She'd been looking down at her feet so that Shadow wouldn't notice and take it the wrong way.

"Where to?" He asked as they got in the truck. She gave him the directions to her new home and they headed out. The entire time he had his eyes pinned on the road as the thought of Max making her stressed and scared angered him. **What am I doing? He's not a problem now.** He looked over at Amy to see how she was doing only to quickly look away. She gave him a smile that somehow was just different from her usual one, making him blush. **What was that?** **Never mind** **. Just drive. She seems fine now anyways** **.**

With nothing left to say they spent the rest of the ride in a comforting silence. Amy eventually fell asleep. There were a few times that Shadow had looked over to check on her, but each time he found himself being a little too protective of her.

* * *

 ** _So_ _yeah I added a little bit more and mainly fixed spelling errors. Hope this seems a bit better._**


	8. Thinking of You

It was late out and Shadow had just left after bringing Amy home to her new home. She let herself lay back in the warm tub; bubbles over flowing the edges and sliding down the outer walls as she reclined. She wrapped her hair in a warm towel, careful not to mess up her stitches and relaxed. Thoughts of earlier filled her mind as she closed her eyes. She relived the moment they arrived at her old apartment.

* * *

 _Getting out of the truck Shadow came around and helped her balance herself. He pulled her close to his side and put his hand around her hip to steady her as they walked. "Just hold on to me, I won't let you fall." He reassured her as they started to walk up the stairs._

 _Her heart was pounding being so close to him. Her ear was pressed slightly against his chest allowing her to hear his heart beat. It was steady and soothing up until the point they saw Max. She looked up at Max who was fuming mad._

 _Max began screaming and cussing her out. He had called her several names and accused her of going behind his back with what he referred to as a "Sonic wanna-be that belonged with the rest of the world's trash"._

 _Amy clung to Shadow, hiding behind him in fear as Max came closer and started picking a fight with Shadow. His back was sturdy and she could feel him tense up as he blocked her from Max. She held her breath and tightened her grasp on him. Max had called her a **** and then he had stopped talking. She felt Shadow's muscles tense and then relax some. Opening her eyes she was in shock. All it took was one punch and Max wasn't going to be a bother to her anymore. Shadow was putting on his usual tough guy act, but somehow it had felt different to her. He had a look of burning anger when he saw Max._

 _When Max left Shadow made sure she was okay. There was just something about him that made her feel safe, other than his physically protecting her. She saw a kindness in his eyes that she hadn't seen him show to anyone else before. The eyes bore into her._

* * *

"Shadow." Amy stared blankly at the soapy water not realizing she had said his name. Looking at the clock it was getting really late. She got out of the bath drying off and getting changed into a clean bra and underwear. As she got in bed she turned the lights out, took her medicine and fluffed her pillows. Unable to fall asleep she got back out and walked around until she saw the bag of his clothes laying on the floor.

She had forgotten to give them back once he dropped her off. She took out his shirt and threw it on feeling all the warmth she had from earlier. Back in bed and still a bit restless she turned on her phone and saw she had three missed calls. She opened each one and let them play on speaker phone.

The first recording was from Sonic. Shushing could be heard in the background. "Hey Ames, I heard you got out of the hospital today. How are you doing? I'm sorry I didn't get over there to see you when you woke up. I hope you feel better, I'll talk to you again soon. Bye." Amy couldn't help, but blush and smile knowing that Sonic at least cared about her.

Rouge's message was the next one on there. "Amy! I went to check on you at the hospital, but the woman at the front desk told me Shadow checked you out. Are you sure you're feeling better? You looked awful the other day. That stupid Max guy... I'm sorry about what happened. The girls and I want to apologize, we feel like we forced you into that situation. I'm also sorry for leaving you alone with Shadow all day, I know how intimidating and what a drag he can be. I'll be stopping by in the morning to check on you. Love you!" The white bat once again managed to bring a smile to her face. She could tell how much Rouge cared for her, though she sometimes had strange ways of showing it.

Amy listened to the last recording for a minute hearing nothing. She was going to delete it when someone started speaking.

"Hey Rose, I know its late I just wanted to remind you to take your meds." It was Shadow. "The doc said to get lots of rest and that you should change the bandages once or twice a day. I have some extra bandages at my place if you ever need any. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you're feeling okay. You were spacing out a lot." There was a moment of silence before his tone changed from concerned to serious. "And Rose, if you ever need help again don't be afraid to call me. I don't care who or what the problem is. I'm your friend and I'm here for you." With that the message ended.

Her cheeks grew warm as her heart skipped a beat. Shadow really was a good guy at heart, he just has a hard time showing it most of the time. It made her smile knowing he decided to open up to her and that he checked in on her. She replayed his message two more times making her feel safe and relaxed. Soon after she drifted off into a peaceful sleep knowing she had someone watching out for her.

* * *

 ** _A few more edits and then I will be posting a new chapter!_**


	9. Center of Everyone's Attention

The night came and went, taking her sleep along with it. Amy groaned as her doorbell resounded throughout the house. She got up and answered the door slowly. On the other side was her very energetic friend.

"Amy! Doll! I'm so glad to see you're okay!" Rouge nearly squeezed the life out of her as she hugged her. "I was so worried about you! I would have gone with you to the hospital, but with the fight and people freaked out by all that blood, there was just so much happening. I stopped by and left you your things. I see everyone else did too." She pointed behind her at all the flowers and balloons on the door step.

Amy held her head. She was getting a migraine from all the excitement. It took her a moment to register what she was hearing. It wasn't until they brought everything in from the doorstep that she finally asked. "What fight?"

Rouge once again excited the house with her voice, happy to share some gossip. "Well as you were getting in the ambulance Max tried to follow, but Sonic stopped him, pulling him down by the foot. They got into an argument about what happened. Max kept brushing it off saying it was an accident, but Sonic stood his ground saying how you're one of his best friends and that you deserve way better than him." She kept going on getting into more details.

The pink hedgehog couldn't help, but blush as she listened. All she could picture was Sonic dressed as a knight in shining armor defending her. She snapped out of it recalling his girlfriend. **Stop it! Bad Amy! He has Sally remember? They're your friends, you need to be happy for them. Not swoon over one of them hoping they'll love you!** Rouge gave her a concerned look. "Huh? Oh! Sorry I spaced out for a second, I'm fine! Really!"

Much to her dismay, Rouge only grew more concerned, however she didn't ask any further. Instead she decided to inquire about who's shirt she was wearing as it was much too big for her petite body. Her cheeks heated up as she realized she was still wearing Shadow's shirt.

"You didn't let Max over here did you?" Rouge sounded more angry than concerned.

"N-no! Nothing like that!" Amy watched as her face relaxed. "It's actually Shadows." Rouge gave her a look of shock as she waited for an explanation. "He gave it to me at the hospital before we checked out because my clothes were still wet. Between going to my place to get everything and then back over here I kind of forgot to give them back." She offered a sheepish smile.

She wanted to know more, but let it slide. "Well anyways, I wanted to check up on you. The doctor said you needed a lot of stitches. He also told everyone that you were going to need lots of rest and that if anything happens to let him know. Are you sure you're feeling good enough to be at home?" She eyed her bandages making sure they were done properly.

Amy let out a sigh. "I'm fine Rouge. You really don't need to worry so much. Is everyone freaking out this much?" She teased her knowing that she just really cared about her. "Look I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to take today to relax and maybe look through some of my work e-mails. Let the girls know I'm okay." Letting out a yawn she gave her a hug and waved goodbye.

Getting some breakfast and taking her medicine she looked around some boxes for her laptop. Once she founded she turned it on and started going through all her mail. She had tons of photo shoot and interview requests. She started modeling about a year ago to help pay her bills, but ended up becoming quite camera friendly. She filled out a few likes and dislikes questionnaires before going on her twitter and letting everyone know she was alright. It brought a smile to her face seeing her friends and fans rejoice in her safety.

* * *

After some more sleep and internet surfing Amy finally got up and got dressed. She wore a short yellow dress with white frills and a pair of sandals. Careful not to mess up her stitches she brushed her hair and threw on a white sunhat with a sunflower on it and some shades. Hesitantly she put on some pink lipstick and gloss. **I don't understand why I keep questioning myself. I look fine. But still...** She couldn't help, but feel a little discouraged by Shadow's tone the other day. Pushing the thought a side she told herself it doesn't matter what he thinks, she can wear makeup if she wants to.

Grabbing her phone and purse she headed to the market. Now and then the clicking of cameras could be heard. **They really suck at trying to be sneaky.** She giggled quietly to herself and would give them poses here and there.

She wasn't the most popular model, but she was well known and liked. While she was shopping she bumped into a tall figure. Gasping she bowed her head apologetically. "I-I'm sorry! I must not have been looking where I was-" She looked up to see Ruby eyes staring down at her. "Shadow?"

The clicking of cameras sounded like crazy in the background of the crowd.

* * *

 ** _Nine more edits to go and then a new chapter is coming!_**


	10. Photo Bombed

Amy stood there shocked to see Shadow standing before her. He was saying something, but she didn't hear him. She was almost paralyzed as she stared into his eyes. **What's he doing here? Why can't I say anything? Ugh! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!** She finally snapped out of her daze when he waved his hand in front of her face.

"W-what? I'm sorry! I um. I kind of spaced out for a second." She trailed off and looked away in embarrassment. She heard a sigh escape his lips and looked back at him. "I'm sorry. So what were you saying?" She looked up at him with apologetic puppy eyes.

Shadow rolled his eyes in defeat. "I was asking if you're feeling okay and needed help with anything." He looked her over before continuing. "Clearly your head hasn't healed if you're gonna keep spacing out like that." He gave a small chuckle before earning himself an aggravated look.

Amy pouted and started to walk away only to have Shadow follow her and say he was sorry. Somehow at the end of her shopping spree he was still there with her, carrying all of her bags. Turning around to face him she couldn't help but laugh. Here he was a tall, dark and masculine hedgehog carrying pink bags and groceries. He looked away in aggravation and embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah very funny Rose. Where's your car so I can put these down?" He was looking around for it, but to no avail. Realizing she had walked here he let out an annoyed sigh and walked her to his truck, putting everything in the back. "What are you doing walking everywhere? Didn't the doctor tell you to get a lot of rest?" He opened the door for her to get in.

She thanked him and hopped in. "Laying in bed all day is boring! Plus there was no food in the fridge." She watched as Shadow just placed his head on the wheel before shaking it and starting the car. "Thanks for bringing me home by the way." She offered him a smile.

He glanced over to her and then back to the road. As much as he wanted to he could not be completely upset with her. He made small talk with her all the way to her place and helped carry everything in. "You have a lot of things for just one little girl living on her own." He remarked placing the last bag on her counter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy huffed and put her hands on her hips. Seeing Shadow nervous she started to laugh. "Oh Shadow, I'm just kidding with you, I'm not mad. Besides that I haven't used my hammer in a long time. It's stored away in a box somewhere around here. I never did finish unpacking." She pointed absent mindedly to all the boxes in the other room.

There were a lot of boxes. Each room had about five or more cardboard boxes laying around with labels on them. Some were opened and looked to have been somewhat emptied of her possessions while others were still taped shut. Across her bed were photo albums and pictures along with her laptop.

Shadow looked around noticing a laundry basket with his clothes folded in it. "You didn't have to wash them you know. You could have just gave them back to me and I would have done it." He started helping her put the groceries away.

Amy looked over her shoulder at the clothes. "I know, but I wanted to. Besides now they are nice and fresh. Plus you don't have to be bothered with more laundry. Hey you want to hang out?" She had just finished putting away the last of the groceries.

He arched an eyebrow at her question. "What do you call this then?"

"I was shopping and you were my helper. That's not hanging out. Come on! You can come with me to the pet store! It'll be fun. What do you say?" She took one of his hands in both of hers. Giving him puppy dog eyes she pleaded again, excitement evident in her voice.

A sigh escaped his lips and he let her drag him out to the truck.

* * *

When they reached the pet store Amy had been running around from one animal to the next. Shadow followed in silence, watching her make faces at the fish and playing with the hamsters. She was attracted to the smaller and furrier pets at the store, where he was drawn to the creepy crawlies and scaled friends. He was looking at some snakes and lizards when he realized Amy wasn't beside him anymore.

Frantically looking around he started to search the aisles. "Rose? Hey, where'd you go? Ugh. Amy!" He called out a couple times still looking for her. **Where did she run off to?** Something soft and hot touched his ear and left a trail of saliva on it. He shuddered at the sensation. Turning around he was greeted by two large brown eyes and a little black nose. Clenching his teeth so he wouldn't make a sound he realized after a moment it was a puppy.

"What do you think?" Behind the puppy was Amy, holding him up and cuddling him. "He's just the sweetest little thing! The lady said he's called a Morkie. He's only two months old. He's so tiny! That's what I'll call you, Tiny." She hugged the black and golden brown puppy.

Shadow looked at her and smiled. He was glad to see that she wasn't going to let anything keep her down. "Why not give him a better name? Tiny might give him a complex." He teased the little thing, wiggling a single finger in his face.

Amy's eyes shot wide open and she gasped causing Shadow to be caught off guard and be bitten by the tiny fur ball. "You're right! I didn't even think about that! I'm sorry little guy. You deserve a better name!" She held him out in front of her, arms stretched out. Studying him and seeing how happy he was being held she thought of the perfect name. "Cayo! It's Spanish for 'rejoice'. He's a happy little one and he makes me happy too. So his name will be Cayo."

They bought Cayo and several toys for him. She stocked up on food for him as well as a few outfits and got him three different beds, collars, harnesses and leashes. Amy went overboard in spoiling her new friend. She even went as far as getting him two dog carriers, a chest carrier and a stroller. There was nothing this dog didn't have.

They took Cayo out to the park and played with him for about an hour before he got tired. Amy picked him up and carried him over to Shadow.

"Poor little guy tuckered himself out." Shadow rubbed his small tummy and allowed himself to chuckle at his cute yawn. "I never was a big fan of dogs, but this guy is pretty cute." He could feel Amy staring at him. He cleared his throat and took his keys out of his back pocket. "Let's get you two home." He headed to the truck before she could make any comments or drag him somewhere else.

It was dark out when they got back to her place. He carried in all of Cayo's things while Amy brought Cayo in. When he was done setting everything down he started to head for the door.

"Hey Shadow, wait. Want some supper? I cook a pretty mean lasagna." She wanted to thank him for what he had done for her that day.

"Another time Rose. Maybe tomorrow night? I have work in the morning." He did want to stay, but if he wanted to be on time then he had best get to sleep soon.

Sad that he had to go, but understanding she let him off the hook. They said their goodbyes and goodnights and hugged. It was only a couple seconds, but it was the best few seconds she had experienced all week. He was so warm and his grip on her was firm and reassuring. She was noticeably colder when he let go. It bothered her. She didn't dwell on it though. Cayo followed her to bed and distracted her from whatever thoughts had entered her head at that moment.

* * *

Outside Shadow went to start up his truck when he noticed a rustling in the bushes beneath her bedroom window. "What the-" He walked over just as there was a flash of light. "Hey! What are you doing you pervert!" He grabbed the guy and pulled him out of the bushes. He didn't give him anytime to explain before he threw the camera across the driveway.

"What are you doing!? Do you have any idea how much that cost me!?" He started to go off on him then backed down when they locked eyes.

His stare was threatening. His crimson eyes added to the effect of how angry he was. "Does it look like I care? Now scram before I call the cops! I don't want to see you over here again. If I find out you have any perverted pictures of her I can promise you, you won't be waking up." He dropped him on his ass and got back in his car. He pulled up towards him slightly, scaring him off. "Filthy perverts..."

* * *

Amy woke up the next morning to a phone call. "Hel-"

"Amy, Doll! You awake?" The voice was loud and merciless to the poor hedgehog girl's ears.

She rubbed her head and held the phone away from her ears. "Yeah Rouge, I'm awake... now." She mumbled the last part. "What is it that you need to call me at-" She picked up her alarm clock. "Six am?! This better be urgent."

"Turn the news on, now!"

"Okay, okay! Yeesh, calm down." She looked for the remote and turned the tv on. The reporter was talking too fast for her to focus, but then she saw it.

In the corner of the screen there were two pictures. On the left was a picture of her and Max. On the right was a picture of her and Shadow together from yesterday. She had Cayo in her arms and was smiling at Shadow who had been opening the door for her and smiled back at her. Below words were speeding by. _'Amy Rose breaks things off with Lacrosse player Max. Now dating new mystery guy? Spotted together at the market, pet store, park and he was found leaving her home. The two shared a hug and parted ways.'_

Amy dropped the phone ignoring Rouge on the other end. "Oh no."

* * *

 _ **Eight more to go! This editing is going by faster I think!**_


	11. Just Friends

"Shit." Amy picked the phone back up apologizing to Rouge and immediately called another number. "Come on, pick up." Biting her lip she was relieved to hear the groggy voice on the other end. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

There was a loud yawn on the other line followed by what sounded like the cracking of bones. "I should probably be getting up now anyways, don't worry about. Why are you calling? You need any bandages?" Shadow was stretching and trying to wake himself up.

Amy let go of a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "No, I'm good Shadow, thanks though." She waited a few seconds listening as he grumbled to himself on the other end. "Listen, it seems that the press may have gotten the wrong idea about us... They must have misunderstood our relationship..." Amy grew nervous biting her lip and holding the phone closer to her ear.

"What are you talking about, the press?" Shadow had forgotten just how famous everyone was, especially Amy now that she was modeling. "Oh." It finally clicked with him as he realized why that guy was at her house last night. "So what's the problem? Are they ruining your reputation?"

She sat there a moment thinking to herself. What's the... problem? Why am I getting so worked up over this? I've dealt with these things before...

"Rose you there?" Shadow questioned as her silence went on.

She snapped back to reality, shaking her head clear. "Yeah, I'm here. Um, it's just that someone might recognize you and tell the press where you live. They think we are together and are sure to bother you about it. I just wanted to give you a heads up before anything happened. I'll talk to them today and clear things up."

"Alright, thanks for the heads up. Ah damn it. Hey, sorry to cut this short, but I need to get ready for work. We still on for tonight though? I'm gonna be working all day so, a home cooked meal would be nice for a change." He chuckled taking her up on her offer from last night.

Amy spaced out for a second forgetting completely about it. "R-right! Okay, I'll see you tonight then. Um, text me later if there's anything else you'd like to have, ok?" She was getting anxious and cursed herself for stuttering.

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight around nine then. Later." He confirmed and waited for her to reply before hanging up.

"Y-yeah. Later." She held the phone staring at it blankly. What's gotten into me?

Cayo waddled over some pillows to her and licked her hand. She smiled picking up her furry little friend.

"This is going to be long day Cayo. Too long." She sighed and got up to take him for a walk.

* * *

Shadow's morning had been rather calm until he got to work where an angry echidna waited for him. It was none other than Knuckles. He got out of his truck nonchalantly and greeted his red coworker.

Knuckles looked away aggravated then turned back to him. "You better have a good excuse for the idiots out front. They're getting in the way!" He was ticked off and stressed.

Shadow gave a questioning look before entering the construction site. He could hear loud chatterint, but ignored it as they walked to the top of the building they were working on. He looked down to see trucks, news reporters and other civilians crowding the site. "What the hell is this!?" He now understood why Knuckles was pissed, but not why he was mad at him.

"I don't know, you tell me! They want to talk to you!" He started to get angrier at the hedgehog the louder the crowd got. "Just go down there and do something about it!"

"Me? I didn't do this!" **Wait... The press are here...** Shadow grumbled as he understood what was going on. "I think I know why they're here..." He made a fist in annoyance.

Knuckles just looked at him and tapped his foot. "Well? Why are they here? More importantly, can we get rid of them?" He was trying to keep his cool the best he could.

Shadow glared down at the crowd. "I've been helping Amy out lately. I forgot how popular she was. She called me this morning telling me they saw us together. They have the wrong idea about us though. It sounded like they didn't know who I was before though, so someone had to have told them something... I don't get it though, she said they would be at my house, hardly anyone knows where I work, I mean it changes all the time." He scratched his head trying to figure out how they found him at his work place.

The two of them walked down to the front where the press was waiting. The second he came into view they were swarmed by microphones and cameras. Left and right they were being bombarded with questions. One voice stood out though.

"What were you doing at her house last night?" The voice cut through all the noise.

Shadow's ears perked as he looked around for the owner of question. His eyes widened a bit before glaring with disgust. "You!" He pushed the other reporters out of the way and made his way to a blue badger. "You're the guy that was spying on her so you tell me. You've got some balls if you think you can spy on her and then ask me what I was doing there." He held him up by the collar of his shirt so that he was a good inch or two off the ground.

The badger cringed and struggled for his freedom. "I-I wasn't spying! P-put me d-down! You're making a scene." He looked around at all the other cameras facing them.

Scoffing he dropped him on his ass yet again. "You call hiding in her bushes taking pictures not spying? She was in the safety of her own home, you were trespassing." He walked away from him to the others. "Look I don't know who told you where I was, but you all have to leave. There's nothing to see here and there's nothing going on. You're in the way of an important project. If you want more information you are going to have to talk to her. We have work to do. I would appreciate it greatly if you left me and my co-workers alone."

With that the crowd died down and most everyone had left, including the badger. They got back to work and finished the frame of the building. As a reward for their hard work and finishing early Knuckles offered to buy everyone drinks. Shadow declined the offer and headed back to his place to get ready.

* * *

All day Amy had been running around from photo shoot to photo shoot. She was tired and all but worn out. This was the last thing she had on schedule then she could go home.

"Deep breaths Amy. You can do this, everything will be fine, this will all just blow over." She took a few deep breaths and then walked out on to the stage. She took a seat, waving and smiling to the audience.

"Hello everyone, we're back and with this year's favorite model, Amy Rose!" The hostess introduced her and waited for the audience to calm down. "So Amy, what's it like being nominated this year's top model?"

Amy smiled politely and thought for a moment. "I'm not the top. I may be favored, but I'm not the best. I'm glad though. I've always loved fashion and it brings me great joy to be doing a job that I love. It's also an honor to be able to show off the work of some of my favorite designers, not to mention the privilege I get to be more than just an ordinary model, but a role model too for some of my younger fans." She was honest and enjoying talking about her career, it kept her mind off of the strange feelings she'd been having all day.

The interview had been going well until it had come to that final part she had been dreading all day.

"So, Amy. I hear you broke up with Lacrosse player Max?" The hostess brought up two pictures on the screen behind them. One of her holding hands with Max, the other one was a split image of the two separated.

She shuffled in her chair and bit her lip a little bit. "Y-yeah." She glanced away from the images not wanting to be reminded of the whole affair.

"Why is that? He seemed like a great guy. There's so many girls that would just die to be with him! He's the Tom Brady of Lacrosse!" She winked at the audience.

Amy clenched her jeans as she became anxious. "He may be charming and a good athlete, but that doesn't make him boyfriend material. I don't like speaking poorly of others, but he's just too self absorbed." She looked at the hundreds of people staring up at her shocked about what they were hearing. "I don't wish anything ill of him, I really don't. I just hope next time, he won't put his own wants before the safety of others. He's a very jealous guy and competitive too. It would do him better if he payed more attention to his relationship instead." She scratched her arm feeling uncomfortable.

"When you say safety of others, were you referring to yourself?" The hostess leaned closer, feigning concern.

 **We're almost there...** "Yes." Reaching up she hesitantly removed her hat she'd been wearing. She felt bad as the audience gasped at her bandages. "I got this because of him. He was so absorbed in beating my friend Sonic that he put our safety in jeopardy just to win a stupid race. I don't remember too much of what happened, but my friends told me that I hit my head on a rock." She took a moment to breath. "I need to wear these for quite some time now. I almost drowned because of his foolishness, but Sonic and Shadow wouldn't let that happen. They went in the water after me." She smiled at the thought of them working together to save her.

Everyone knew the question that was coming next. The audience leaned in closer, excited to hear the news they were hoping for. All eyes and ears were open and on her.

"Speaking of Shadow, it seems you two have been rather close lately. Is there a romance going on there? I'm sure your fans would love to know." She looked to the audience encouraging them to cheer.

 **Why am I so nervous?** Swallowing hard she put on a smile. "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. He's a good friend of mine and was just checking on me to make sure I was okay after the accident." **That's it, this nightmare of a day can be over now!**

"He is some friend! Hot too, I might scoop him up if you wont. You sure there's nothing going on? I find it hard to believe that you don't at least find him attractive?" She had the images switched on screen to that of Shadow. One picture was of him shopping with her.

 **A-attractive? Hot? Sh-Shadow?!** She looked at the images, one catching her eyes in particular. It was the hug he had given her the night before. A light blush found its way to her cheeks. "Like I said, it's not like that at all. We- we're just friends. That's all." **Just friends...**

* * *

 ** _A few more left to edit. Gonna try to do a whole bunch at a time._**


	12. Dinner and Small Talk

Once Shadow got home he wasted no time in discarding his clothing and hopping into the shower. Shadow may be many things, but late and dirty was not on the list. Just as he finished washing up his phone started going off. "Who the hell?" He muttered under his breath as he picked up. "Hello?"

"Shadow, h-hey! It's Amy, um... I know this is kind of last minute, but could you pick up a wine to go with the lasagna on the way here? I kind of was in a rush to get home and forgot about it..." Her voice came through clear as day. She was embarrassed.

Shadow chuckled and gave a sly smile to himself. "Wine? Are you sure you don't plan to get me drunk?" His voice was laced with mischief.

Amy blushed. "Sh-Shadow! You dummy! Do you want to eat or not?" She fumed at his accusation.

He apologized and headed out to the closest liquor store.

* * *

Once Shadow managed to find the closest store he texted Amy letting her know then went in. **I wonder what kind of wine she wants... Maybe I should text her and find out... Then again she didn't sound too picky about it...** His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of snickering behind him. "Who are you and what are you laughing at?" He growled irritated.

"Shadow, it is you! What are you doing here? Looking at- wine? No way! Don't tell me you have a date!" The all too familiar voice kept going on. "Let me guess! It's Ames isn't it!"

Shadow turned around annoyed, grabbing the closest bottle of wine. "I don't have time for you... Sonic." He tried his best to be polite.

Sonic followed him into line not letting it go. "So how'd it happen? She didn't threaten you did she?" He gave a lighthearted chuckle at the thought of someone else going through what he did.

Taking a glance he noticed he had some flowers and a bottle of wine. "I need the wine for dinner, I'm not going on a date." He paid for the wine and turned to face him. "Though I can see why you might think that." He gestured to the items he was holding. "I have to go now."

Sonic watched as he headed out. He paid for his things quickly and ran out after him. "Hey Shadow, if you're not dating her then why are you always with her? You don't have a crush on her do you?" Sonic smirked as he inquired about what he thought to be the truth.

Shadow was getting very annoyed and took in a deep breath before responding. "I hangout with her because we are friends. Nothing more than that. The main reason I've been seeing her so much as of late is because I'm looking after her and it seems like she needs a friend." He watched as guilt filled Sonic's eyes. "Why do you care anyway? Don't you have a girlfriend? Forget it. I'm gonna be late if I stay and chat..." He started his truck up, but couldn't leave as Sonic had placed a hand on his window before he could close it. "Now what?"

"If she's upset it might be because of me... Can you tell her I'm sorry?" Sonic looked up at him and removed his hand.

He wanted to ask what he did. He wanted to know why she was always so awkward around him and why she seemed distant. He didn't ask though instead he nodded and headed out. Sonic's figure staring at the ground in his rear view mirror made him all the more curious.

* * *

Amy was walking back and forth waiting for the food to be done. Cayo ran around in circles chasing his tail before barking and running over to a window trying to jump up and look out. Amy hadn't noticed the sound of a car pulling into her driveway, if Cayo didn't run to the door and barked she probably wouldn't have opened it after someone rang the bell.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention! Come in." Amy held the door open for Shadow. "I've been so focused on cooking I didn't hear you at the door."

Shadow knelt down to pet the ever excited puppy's head. "It's fine. How are you feeling?" He stood back up and gestured to her head. "Do you need any more bandages?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She gave him a hug that he hesitantly returned. "Oh the lasagna!" She let go of him and ran into the kitchen.

When she came back out from the kitchen she set the table with his help. For most of the dinner Shadow was complimenting her cooking and they both fed Cayo scraps as they reminisced about the old days.

"I miss being young and carefree. It was great!" Amy laughed as she reached for her glass. "This is some good wine, where'd you get it?" She took a sip enjoying the taste.

"It was that liquor store down my street, I don't remember the name. I can stop by on the way home and text you it if you like." He offered, being politely denied.

Amy shook her head at him. "Don't tell me you're gonna be driving home after drinking all that?" She pointed to the more than half empty wine bottle. "You must have had one stressful day."

Shadow just laughed and waved a hand. "It wasn't that bad. Knuckles was pissed about the site being crowded, which was a little annoying, but not that bad. Had to fire a crew member though for giving out information." He grumbled at the events of earlier, but quickly cleared his head of it. "By the way you should really get a fence or a security system for the place. There was a photographer taking pictures of you the other night outside your window." He tried to put on a serious face, but it just made him look tired.

"Really?" She shivered at the image in her head. "I can handle snap shots in public, but hiding outside my window is just an outright violation of privacy! If I wanted the world to know my life every waking hour, I would have signed off on that reality show proposal!" Amy huffed annoyed that they would do that to her.

Sonic's guilty face crossed his mind. "What happened between you two?" It took him a moment to realize what he had just said.

"Excuse me?" Amy gave him a questioning look. "Between me and who?" She looked at him as if he were some foreign creature she had never seen before.

 **Might as well ask...** "I saw Sonic at the store." The second he said his name he could see the change in her eyes. "He wanted to tell you he's sorry."

In a matter of seconds she had gone from happy to uncomfortable. After hearing that he was sorry she just wanted to cry. "I-I... Okay..." She wasn't sure what to say to that. Part of her wanted to cry the other part wanted to be angry at him. "Why can't I just be over him?" She whispered it, but it was loud enough for all of them to hear.

Shadow was still a little confused, but didn't want to ask any further. He stood up and walked over to her side. He pulled her chair out to face him and made himself eye level to her. Seeing her eyes water upset him. Taking one hand he wiped her tears away. "No more of that." He stood back up and began putting food away and cleaning up. "Go turn the TV on and we'll watch a movie."

Amy picked up Cayo who had been licking her leg, trying to get her attention. She walked like a zombie over to the couch and sat down. After flicking through what seemed to be a thousand romance movies and shows she settled on a murder mystery. "Are you okay with this? I don't know what you like to watch." She asked as he sat next to her.

"This is fine, here." He handed her a bowl of popcorn. "I hope you don't mind. I went through the cabinets. I put everything back, so you don't have to worry about that." He looked back to the TV, crossing one leg over the other and reclining.

* * *

Neither of them spoke for an hour. Amy had at some point pulled the blanket over the couch around herself. Cayo just nuzzled himself between the two while Shadow began to grow tired. It was Amy who had eventually broken the silence between them.

"I hate this." She was blunt and vague.

Shadow arched an eyebrow and grabbed the remote. "We can change it to whatever you want."

Amy shook her head. "No. I hate not knowing how to feel. Sonic was my first love. He lead me on then told me he had a girlfriend. I felt so stupid and humiliated." She turned away when she saw him look at her confused. "I tried to forget about him and how I felt, that's how I ended up with Max. I thought maybe being with someone would make me forget him, but it didn't. He was always there and it was just awkward."

Shadow kept quiet as she stopped talking. He wasn't familiar with her situation and didn't want to say he knew how she felt. He waited and muted the tv as she began again.

"Am I stupid for liking him still? Or am I stupid for not knowing how I feel? Sometimes I hear his name and it makes me happy, but then I just get upset. I'm happy he has someone, I really am... but..." She just shook her head not knowing what to say.

"He's stupid, not you." He made her face him.

"W-what?" She was tipsy and confused. She couldn't comprehend the words coming from him.

"He's stupid for leading you on. You were hurt by it and are doing your best to move on. I'm not exactly the one to know about these things, but it sounds more like you are just pissed at him, that is something I get. He crossed a line and now you're mad. At least, that's how I would be if someone crossed me." He turned away and faced the TV.

Amy thought about what he had said. "Mad." I think I can live with that.

Not long after Amy fell asleep, leaning on his shoulder. Not wanting to wake her he gently held her up as he moved off the couch, then laid her down. He took a seat on a chair diagonal from her and folded his arms. He stayed like this for about twenty minutes before he too fell asleep.

* * *

 _ **Can't wait to edit the last few and then post the new chapter!**_


	13. Letting Go

_Amy watched every time Sonic had hugged her, wiped her tears away, teased her and used her feelings to his advantage just played before her like a movie. The best part came when he left her there crying. Amy summoned her hammer and was ready to smash the scene in front of her away when something stopped her. Coming out from the crowd of people was a knight. He helped her up then walked out from the scene to her actual self._

 _"Do not be upset my lady." He bowed before her on one knee._

 _Amy stared at the sight before her. "W-what? My lady? Who are you-"_

 _The knight took her hand and kissed it. "Please don't be upset anymore, my lady. Such a beautiful face deserves an equally beautiful smile." He offered her up a rose._

 _Amy blushed accepting the rose. "Thank you but-"_

* * *

Amy smiled as a Cayo licked her face. "No I-" She rolled off the couch, blanket, puppy and all. "Oof! Ugh... It was just a dream." She got up rubbing her eyes. Everything was blurry at first so she couldn't see what was across from her. "Huh?" Once her eyes focused she jumped back a bit.

Shadow was asleep in the chair across from her. His light breathing was the only thing that could be heard as the house went dead silent. Amy covered her mouth to keep from freaking out. She let the sight before her sink in.

 **Calm down Amy! He slept over remember? You told him to so he wouldn't get pulled over! Plus its Shadow, he's not some stranger so there is no need to freak out.** Sighing she got up and picked the blanket up off the floor. After shaking it out she placed it over him then went into the kitchen. "Whoa. He really knows how to clean up." She smiled at how clean her kitchen was.

* * *

Some time passed and Shadow began to wake up. He was warm and there was a sweet smell. Groaning he stretched in an effort to help wake himself up. He looked to the couch to see Amy, but instead saw a puppy sleeping on his back and kicking his feet now and then. **Where did she... Huh?** It was faint, but he could hear someone humming from another room. As he walked towards the humming it turned into a mix of light hums and singing.

Amy was cooking pancakes, humming and singing here and there. "This is the way a fairytale feels. This is the way I know it's real. 'Cause this is the way a broken heart heals. Yeah~hmmm-" She was singing happily until she heard light footsteps coming from behind her. "Huh? Sh-Shadow! Hey! When did you wake up?" She blushed furiously trying not to look at him.

He smirked and walked over to see what she was cooking. "A few minutes go. Are those chocolate chip?"

Amy was too embarrassed to say anything so she just nodded. How long was he standing there?! **Maybe... Maybe he just walked in and didn't hear anything?** Amy nervously set the table for them to eat. "So you sleep good?" She poured him some coffee and tried to make small talk.

He was loving this. He knew she was embarrassed and trying to find a way to ask how much he heard. "Pretty good even though I slept in a chair. Maybe I should get one for my place too?" He drank his coffee and watched her fidget in her seat. "Is something wrong?"

Her cheeks lit up and she lost her words. "I. Um. Nothing." **It's okay Amy, he hasn't mentioned it so he probably didn't hear your awful voice...** "So... You working today?"

That was the question that nearly made him choke on his food. "Crap! I overslept. Hey sorry to cut this short, but I have work." He ate as much as he could and put his dishes in the sink. "Thanks for breakfast it was great." He took one step out the door before turning around. "Oh and Rose."

Amy looked up. "What?"

"Nice singing." He smirked and headed out.

Amy sat there, her face a dark shade of red. "Sh-Shadow!" She called after him, but he was already gone. "He heard me..." She sunk to the floor on her knees. "I'm gonna kill him... he better not tell anyone..."

* * *

Later in the day Rouge came over to pick Amy up. "Come on Doll Face! We don't have all day!" **Well... unless she wants to go to the stores I do...** The bat tapped her foot waiting for her friend.

Amy Ran out, her ponytail swaying back and forth from the back of her cap. She was in a T-shirt an old pair of jeans and some sandals. "Sorry, I was putting down some newspaper for Cayo while I'm out." She hopped in on the other side of the car.

"So you gonna tell me what that whole thing was about?" Rouge glanced at her then turned a corner.

Amy groaned at the subject. "I was being stalked by the paparazzi. They twisted everything around. I ran into him at the store, he brought me home then I asked if he wanted to hang out, so we hung out." She yawned and leaned her head against the window.

"Then you bought a dog together and he spent the night at your place." Rouge winked at her jokingly. Seeing Amy freak out made her all the more hysterical. "Cool it Pinky, I know you two are just friends. It was a joke. To be honest I don't think anyone would date him. He's too rude and can be such a brute sometimes." Rouge huffed at his lack of manners he used to display around her.

"He's not like that." She blushed slightly and turned the other way when Rouge gave her a strange look. "I mean, he's not like that anymore. He's really trying to change for the better you know? If he seems rude or brutish he can't help it. I think he's still shy around others. If you just talk to him he's really not that bad." She smiled at the progress he has made.

Rouge rolled her eyes as she parked the car. "Yeah, right, shy."

* * *

The two walked around the mall for hours going in and out of every store. All the while Rouge had been trying to find out who Amy liked. They finally decided to sit down and grab a bite, mostly so that they didn't have to keep carrying so many bags.

Rouge plopped down in the chair across from Amy. "I think that is enough exercise for one day." She leaned back seeing a red weasel. "Well there's some eye candy. Hey Amy, what about him, he seems cute."

Amy looked over at him. He seemed threatening and like he worked out a lot. "Uh, yeah, he's not exactly my type. Though you can have him if you want."

"That's right, your type is blue, fast and chili dog eating champion. Or brown whatever you wanna call it player who is jealous." Rouge gave her a look Amy knew all too well.

Not wanting to respond she got up. "Right, I'm gonna go grab some food you want anythi-"As she turned she bumped into someone, making them both fall. Oww... Ugh that's just what I need, a sore ass to go with the stitches on my head...

A hand reached down to help her up. "I'm sorry about that, it was my fault. I thought I recognized you, but before I could announce myself... yeah."

Amy brushed herself off. "Sally? What are you doing here?" She was surprised to see her and without Sonic.

Sally smiled. "Well Sonic and I just moved in together and I thought we should make the place more suited for the both of us. We're just looking around until we know for sure what we want. What about you guys?" She looked to Rouge who seemed disinterested in the conversation.

"We've been doing some shopping." Amy looked to all their bags. "Well maybe a bit more than some." She gave an embarrassed laugh. "We've been walking around all day and decided it was time for a break. I was just gonna go get us some food, wanna join us?"

Rouge couldn't care less about the conversation as she didn't know Sally all that well. One thing had registered that she said. "Sally, is it? You said both of you were here didn't you? Where is the blue man?" She surveyed the area looking for him, but didn't need to search for very long.

Sonic walked up with boxes of food. "Sal I thought I lost you for a moment there, I turned around and you were gone." He put the boxes down on a nearby table. "Amy? Hey." The guilt started to build up.

Sally looked at the food Sonic got and shook her head. "How you can eat that much is ridiculous. I'm gonna go get something from the fruit shack. You two wanna come with me?" She gestured towards the girls.

Rouge got up and stretched. "Count me in. I could use something that doesn't reek of chili dogs and burgers." She rolled her eyes at Sonic and his appetite. "What about you Doll Face? You coming?" She looked to Amy.

"Actually I was hoping I could talk to you for a second." Sonic looked to Amy, trying not to look too pushy about it. "It won't take long. I promise."

Amy nodded to Rouge and watched as they left to get food. "What is it?"

He wasn't sure what to say. "I, uh. How are things with you and Shadow?" He was nervous and wasn't sure why.

"We're good? He's been helping me out since the accident. I made dinner for him last night as thanks for all the help." She explained to him that there was nothing going on.

"That's good. Look, I don't know if he told you or not, but I asked him to let you know I'm sorry." He waited for her to either cry or get angry with him, but neither happened.

Amy stared at him expecting the same, but instead she laughed. "That's why you wanted to see me? I'm sorry for laughing, I don't know what's come over me." She calmed down and smiled at him. "Yeah he told me about that. You really didn't have to say it again. I know you're sorry. Is that all you wanted to say? Because I'm kind of in need of a smoothie, I don't think I've had anything to eat or drink since this morning." She put one hand to her stomach feeling it growl.

Sonic blinked in disbelief. **She's really over me?** "Y-yeah, sure Ames."

On their way back Rouge couldn't help, but speak up. "So what was up with you and lover boy back there?"

"Nothing really. He just wanted to say sorry." Amy smiled and watched the cars going by in front of them.

Rouge looked at her confused. "Just sorry? Did you at least give him what for?"

Amy giggled and shook her head. "No. I think Shadow was right, I was just mad. He said he saw us as just friends, but would always tease me. After seeing Sally though and hearing him say sorry, I realized something else." She looked at her friend excited. "I don't care about him anymore. I mean sure, I care as a friend, but I don't love him anymore. I'm happy he found someone. I also kind of feel bad about it though."

Rouge couldn't believe her ears. "What is there to feel bad about?"

"Sally has to deal with his chili dog problem." Amy winked and they both laughed.

* * *

 ***The song she is singing is called Once Upon A Broken Heart by The Beu Sisters  
Almost done with all of my edits!**


	14. Nothing Sweeter Than A Rose

Amy spent the next week and a half refurnishing and decorating her new home. Since she put her first love behind her everything seemed to be looking up. She was happier, spent more time with her friends and had been taking up all sorts of new hobbies and side jobs. Even her gashes were healing a lot better, so much so that she was able to remove most of her bandages and stitches.

Inside the comfort of her home she sat at the counter on her laptop taking notes for her work and various hobbies. **No... That won't do either... Maybe!** Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "Be right there!" Amy got up and rushed to the door, holding a yipping Cayo at bay.

At the door stood an excited Cream. "Amy! Hi, I hope I'm not too early." She gave her pink friend a hug. "I got done with my errands early so I thought I would come here, we don't have to leave yet if you don't want to though." Cream knelt down to pet Cayo, who was wagging his little tail rapidly at the attention.

Letting out a giggle Amy shut the door. "Don't worry, we can leave in a minute or so. I just need to grab my bag and laptop." She waved a hand to let her know she'd be right back and headed to the kitchen where everything was. She shut her laptop down and placed it gently in her bag that was sitting on a nearby stool. She gave a quick glance around the place. Trying to be fast she she grabbed her phone, keys, a water bottle and some food for Cayo. After packing everything up she came back out to Cream who was still playing with the silly little pup. "I got everything so we can leave whenever you're ready."

After putting a leash on Cayo they hopped in the car. He ran around in the back seat excitedly looking at everything that passed by. The girls chuckled at him as they discussed work. Amy was going out to help Cream and Vanilla with their business. Cream ran a bakery shop that was also a small café. Her mother helped as a second cook. Amy was coming to not only help get everything done, but to hopefully attract customers.

* * *

As they pulled up Amy let her self out and grabbed Cayo from the back. "I'm gonna put him in the back then I'll come help bring everything in okay?" She glanced back at Cream who waved her off with a smile. "Come on Cayo, we have a lot to do today." She walked into the store and into the back. There was a closed off pen where another puppy, a Pomeranian, was sleeping in the corner. "This is Anita, you're gonna be with her today until Mommy is done working okay?" The curious pup just gave her a lick and wagged his tail as she put him in the pen. "That's my boy." She giggled and left him to go help Cream.

It took them awhile, but they finally finished unloading the car and stocking everything. When Vanilla came in with Cheese things started to pick up speed. The girls got everything baked and set out on display while Cheese watched over the pups. When it got close to opening Amy sent out a tweet to all her fans letting them know where she was going to be in the hopes of bringing a lot of business.

Sure enough customers were lined up outside the doors waiting to see Amy and to try the delicious looking foods. Among the many customers were photographers and food critics. Pictures of the bakery, the staff, customers and Amy were taken. The girls were busy running back forth, catering to their orders, baking and answering questions for different reporters.

* * *

As Amy was cashing out she noticed a familiar blue-eyed squirrel and red fox walk in. She waved them both over excitedly. "Sally, how are you?" Reaching over the counter she gave her a hug.

"I'm well Amy. Fiona and I are just out doing some shopping for tonight." Sally looked back at her friend with a sly smile and a wink.

"Seems like you're having fun. What's tonight?" Amy inquired as she took care of some customers .

Smiling Sally explained that it was her anniversary with Sonic. "Fiona is helping me pick out an outfit to help set the mood for tonight." Sally blushed a bit, but shook her head clear of the thought.

Giggling at her friend's happiness Amy congratulated her and wished her a long happy relationship. A thought came to her mind and she just had to ask. "If you're shopping for tonight then what are you doing here?"

"I heard Sonic and that red guy talking, something about a surprise and coming here." Fiona came closer and rolled her eyes as she pointed to Sally. "That's all I heard, but it was enough to make someone want to surprise him here."

Sally laughed embarrassed and stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, guess I have my moments of weakness too. I'm just so happy to hear that he is doing something special for our first year"

As the girls talked more the rest of the gang showed up. Knuckles, Tails and Sonic were all talking while Rouge, Blaze, Silver and Shadow strolled in to greet the others. Sally and Fiona pretended not to see them in the hopes that Sonic would try to surprise her.

* * *

It was around noon when the guys and the rest of the girls showed up. Sonic walked smoothly up to the counter looking for Amy, only to be surprised by Sally's presence. He strolled over cautiously. **What is she doing here?** Snaking his arms around her he placed a small kiss on her cheek. "Hey Sal, I didn't know you were gonna be here today."

Sally smiled and told him that she and Fiona, who was busy texting at the time, were out shopping. "I just wanted to get some stuff for tonight." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and winked at him. "What about you?"

"I'm just visiting." He felt like he was missing something by the look she was giving him.

They spoke a little while longer until the girls left. Afterwards Sonic walked over to the back where there was a lot of commotion. Cream was running around trying to catch Cheese while Tails, Shadow and Amy worked on getting Anita and Cayo.

"Sonic quick!" Amy called out to him. She ran into him knocking them both down.

It took him a moment before he regained his breath that had been knocked out of him. He held his head and tried to get up only to realize there was some extra weight on his stomach. "A-Amy?!"

Not paying any attention to him she continued to sit on top of him, holding an excited Cayo. "Silly boy, you know better than to scare me like that! You could have gotten hurt!" It wasn't until he cleared his throat that she noticed his presence. "Oh! Sonic!" She hopped off of him immediately. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!"

Sonic brushed himself off and waved a hand. "Its no problem. Uh, but what is going on back here?" He looked at the others who were just catching Cheese and Anita.

Cream walked over with a guilty Cheese. "Cheese was playing with the pups, but got a little carried away. He opened the gate and accidentally scared them, making them run." She explained as Cheese tried to hide his face. "But he's sorry, right?" She gave him a scolding look and he nodded.

"Its nothing to worry about Cream. They're all calmed down now and nothing broke in their panic." Tails walked calmly over with Shadow and Anita. "Now, let's get everything finished up here and then we can all go do something as a group!" Tails suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

Everyone agreed after putting the pups back. They all finished up and started to close down after the last of their customers were gone. Amy was organizing things while Sonic sat down at the counter. The others were all off cleaning here and there.

"So Ames, how have you been?" Sonic started up the conversation.

Amy turned around smiling. "I've been great actually, thanks. I have had a lot of time lately to focus on my job and hobbies. I've even gotten to see everyone a lot more so I couldn't be happier!" She stocked some things before continuing the conversation. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Sonic looked at her baffled. "I'm good. Nothing too interesting has been going on though. I race here and there, but it's no fun unless my opponents actually stand a chance. I have been hanging out with Knuckle-head and Tails lately though. I'm gonna see if I can get Tails to make me a chilli dog machine!" He joked making them both laugh.

"What about you and Sally?" She smiled remembering her chat from earlier.

"Oh we're doing good. She's a really great girl." **I can't believe this... Is she really over me?** Sonic watched as she danced happily around. She left to talk to Cream for a moment before running back over excitedly. "What's got you all excited?"

She couldn't help but smile at the thought she was having. "Hey Sonic, why don't you pick any cake you see here and I'll buy it for you, no payback required!" She gave him a wink and handed him a menu.

 **I knew it! She still likes me!** Sonic grinned as he took the menu. "Thanks Ames! Are there any on here you would suggest?"

Amy thought hard for a moment then pointed out to different cakes topped with fruit. "One of these! They are really sweet, but still good for you." She smiled sweetly at him then continued to prepare a box.

Sonic looked at them then decided on a strawberry topped cake. "Thanks Amy! This is real sweet of you." He smiled as he watched her happily preparing the cake and carefully put it in the box. Another thought popped in his head. "Hey Ames, I was wondering about something."

She looked over as she was finishing up. "What is it Sonic?" She wrapped the box up and handed it to him.

"About last week with all the drama..." **What am I doing?** He paused and looked for the words. "You know, about you and Shadow. I was wondering if any of it was true. You guys seemed pretty close. Plus I saw him at the liquor store getting wine."

Amy blushed, but hid it well. "That was nothing. I was just having him over for some dinner as a thanks for all the help he had been." She started straightening her clothes as she became increasingly fidgety. "A-anyways it's getting late." She walked from around the counter and grabbed her things. "Hey Sonic..."

He had little time to react as she hugged him tightly. She was slightly cold and her touch was soft. It was just a hug, but he felt like he would melt as he took in the scent of her shampoo and hugged her back.

Letting go she looked up at him. "Thank you for saving me too."

* * *

 _ **A few more edits to go! Anyone still reading this?**_


	15. A Rosy Night

As Sonic walked back to his place all he could think about was Amy. He had never noticed how soft she was or how warm her hugs were. **Did she always smile like that? I don't think I have ever seen her this happy before.** For someone who can travel at the speed of sound he had been taking a long time to get home.

Waiting for him was Sally who was anything, but happy. Angry at him she had asked why he was late and about the box. Hearing that Amy was his answer for both she began to get a strange feeling. Normally she would never think twice about the girls he hung out with or talked to because she knew he had eyes only for her, but something about the look he had challenged that belief. "Sonic did you even remember what today was?" She looked at him with sad eyes.

Sonic looked at her confused. "I don't think it's your birthday." He thought to himself for a moment before realizing just how bad he had messed up. "Oh no, Sal listen I'm so sorry!" He went to hug her, but she moved away from him slightly. "Hey Sal I-"

"I'm going to head home okay? I'll see you tomorrow Sonic." She pushed past him feeling hurt. Sally knew he could be dense, but to forget about such an important day was far beyond him being just dense.

* * *

After closing up the rest of the gang had gone out to do some karaoke. They had a room to themselves and had plenty to drink and eat while they all took turns singing. All of them were having a blast until Shadow realized Amy hadn't gone up to sing yet.

While Rouge and Blaze were on the small stage singing their drunk hearts out Shadow moved so that he was sitting next to Amy. "So Rose I was wondering something." He began with a devilish look in his eyes.

Amy looked at him slightly uncomfortable. "Y-yes? What is it Shadow?" She did her best to listen to him while still trying to listen to her friends.

"When are you going to grace us with that voice of yours?" He smirked at her reaction. Once he had started to know more about her he found that teasing her proved to be more fun than he could remember ever having. As much as he was teasing her though he had to admit he liked hearing her sing and genuinely wanted to hear her again. "Well? What about it Rose?"

Amy tried to turn the suggestion down, but the rest of the group had caught on and agreed that she had to sing too. Nervously she hopped up on the stage and shuffled through a list of songs before settling on Protecting Me by Aly and Aj. As she sang she felt better knowing that most of the group was probably too drunk to remember her voice anyways. It wasn't until she had locked eyes with Shadow that she started to get nervous again. It was only a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever. No words ever seemed to fit more. He had been there for her a while now. When Max had endangered her life, at the hospital, moving and even just to blushed and turned away from him. **What's going on with me? Why am I feeling like this all of a sudden?** When she finished her song they cheered, applauded and whistled. Bowing playfully she opted to sit with the girls instead of with Shadow.

* * *

The group stayed until the place closed sometime around three in the morning. They split up and went their different ways except for Shadow and Amy that decided to go for a walk together. Laughter about their days filled the air around them.

"So how bad was it?" Shadow nudged her lightly in a joking manner.

Amy had almost forgotten that it was his fault she ended up singing. "I sounded awful you jerk." She punched his arm playfully. "You owe me for that one!" Sticking her tongue out in a mocking manner she noticed a small smile form on his face. "Oh my gosh! You smiled!"

Shadow quickly composed himself with a light blush barely visible on his cheeks. "You're seeing things Rose. I may smirk and grin, but I don't smile." He looked away from her and cleared his throat as she giggled. "Anyways it was good to see everyone tonight. Was it not?"

"It really was nice." She nodded happily in agreement. "Today was so much fun. It's a shame everyday can't be like today." Turning her attention to the sky.

Watching her stare at the sky Shadow felt something deep within himself stir. He watched her in their silence as her eyes reflected the stars. "Wow." His voice was hushed and it came out just as easy as breathing. **Did I just...**

Her ears twitched not really able to hear what he said. "I'm sorry what were you saying?" She had been so caught up in the scene above her that she had stopped listening.

Clearing his throat he tried to wave it off. "Nothing I was just admiring the view. I don't remember the last time I saw a sky full of stars." After seeing her agree a sigh of relief escaped his lips. **What was that?** His thoughts were stopped by a cold breeze.

Amy shivered and held her arms. "Autumn really is around the corner isn't it?" As a stronger breeze picked up she expected to shiver more, but instead was greeted by warmth and pitch black. "What's this?" Pulling down the cover over her eyes she realized Shadow had thrown his jacket on to her.

"It's still summer, but the nights are getting cooler. You should bring a light jacket at the least next time you stay out late." He put his hands in his pockets as he continued to walk ahead. "You coming?"

Catching up to him she looked at his face to get some sort of idea as to what was going through his head. "So where are we going?"

"I'm walking you home. It's late and you have work tomorrow don't you?" He looked around and thought about different shortcuts he could take.

Amy smiled at the thought of him walking her home. "Thanks Shadow, but I'm a big girl I can walk myself home." She giggled not really rejecting his offer.

Her mannerism went over his head as he continued. "You may be, but I'd feel better knowing you're actually safe." He was completely serious as he looked in her eyes.

Blushing hard Amy hid her face in his Jacket. "Don't say things like that!" She punched his arm not knowing what else to do.

"Hey!" He rubbed where she hit him. "I mean it, with your history you never know what's going to happen. I've already seen you sad and it doesn't fit you at all." Shadow continued guiding her back home.

Once they got back Amy thanked him for sticking with her. She tried to give him his jacket back, but he told her to keep it. The entire way back to his place all he could think about was her and how he was thankful she was back to her smiling self. All of that was interrupted by a blue blur running across the street from him. "Sonic?"

* * *

 _ **ALMOST THERE! JUST A LITTLE MORE THEN I WILL BE POSTING A NEW CHAPTER!**_


	16. Rose Filled Thoughts

Shadow watched as Sonic seemed to blur across the street. As curious as he was he let it go. He may not be his enemy any more, but that didn't mean he was his friend either. Continuing on his way home he was stopped by his phone vibrating. Pulling it out he flipped it open to see he had a text. It was Amy, thanking him for the jacket and wishing him a goodnight. That was the first time he found himself smiling at a message and saving it.

* * *

Running down the street Sonic felt like a total jerk. He let his ego get to him and forgot about their anniversary. By the time he made it to Sally's place all the lights were off and the doors were locked. **Come on Sal! Open the window.** He found some small stones and threw them at her window. When he saw a light turn on he stopped. **Yes!**

Sally opened her curtains to see Sonic staring up at her. He looked pathetic and desperate. With a sigh she reluctantly opened the window. "Sonic it's late."

"I know, but you need to know I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" He was cut off by the tears in Sally's eyes.

"I know you say you didn't mean to, but that's not enough. You've been distant lately and I thought it was because you were planning a surprise for our anniversary." She half turned away from him, wiping some tears away. "It's late Sonic. Just go home." With that she shut and locked the window before closing the blinds and shutting the lights out.

"Sal please don't-" As he watched the lights turn out he gave up on yelling up to her. With nothing left to say or do he went home like she said to do.

When he got home and walked in he found the cake Amy had gave him. Feeling miserable and hungry he took a piece. **Wow! This is really good. Has she always cooked this good? Maybe Cream made it?** His thoughts had drifted to the dinner she and Shadow had. Not longer after he found himself wondering if he could get her to cook for him sometime too. Doing his best to push the thought away he cleaned up and went to bed after texting Sally another apology.

* * *

 _Nervously Sonic rang the doorbell to a moderately sized house. He had roses and wine that he didn't remember picking up. As he went to ring the bell again the door opened up to a beautiful pink hedgehog. "A-Ames?" He was stunned._

 _Amy giggled and ushered him in. Her quills were curled and bounced when she walked. As she guided him to the table she took the flowers and wine from him. "These are beautiful. Thank you." She turned around with two glasses after putting the roses in a vase._

 _Sonic couldn't tear his eyes away. She was wearing a white dress that was tight to her curves, but flowed at the bottom, giving her just enough space to walk freely. "S-soo Ames, how have you been?" He did his best to talk and focus on her face instead of the rest of her._

 _Pouring the wine she appeared to think for a moment. "I've been doing really well. Although I have missed this." She smiled sweetly at him and handed him a glass. "You know I don't remember the last time we were alone."_

 _"I do. I took you to a fair in town. You were so excited about everything." Sonic laughed recalling her dragging him around everywhere. "That was so long ago. I wonder why we haven't hung out like that in a while?" That's when he remembered the phone call he had gotten from Sally. The reason they didn't hang out anymore was because he had a girlfriend and left her crying. As he was about to apologize his phone rang. He picked it up to see none other than Sally's name. He looked across the table to see Amy look away with sad eyes. Instead of answering he turned it off. "We should go again. I'll take you whenever you want to go."_

 _Amy perked up immediately. "Really?" Her eyes were excited and shined beautifully._

 _"Yeah. I want to see that pretty little smile of yours again. The one you had only for me before." Sonic realized just how desperately he missed seeing her happy because of him._

 _"Of course!" Amy got up and ran around the table to hug him. "Hey Sonic?" Her eyes bore into him lovingly._

 _He couldn't look away. "Yeah Ames? What is it?" The smell of strawberry shampoo filled his nose as he stared back into her eyes. Her face inched closer and closer until their lips were almost touching._

 _"Sonic I-"_

* * *

Sonic woke up to his phone ringing loudly. Groaning he picked it up just as it had stopped. Rubbing his eyes he nearly dropped it. He had several missed calls and texts from Sally. "Shit!" He tried to call back, but it went straight to her voicemail. "Hey Sal it's Sonic! Sorry I missed your calls! I just woke up. I tried to call you back immediately after your last call, but I guess you had already turned your phone off or it had died. If you get this message let me know. I love you. I want to make last night up to you. I'll be at Lola Cafe around five if you want to see me." With that he ended his message and got ready.

Speeding down to the cafe he stopped by a few places. Once he got there he picked a table by a window and sat down. Next to him he had a bag with a bouquet and a few boxes. He tried hard to concentrate on what he would say to her if she showed up. Mostly he was staring at his phone, hoping for her to call him back. About half an hour later she did. "Sally!"

"Hey Sonic... I got your message." Sally wasn't sure she really wanted to be talking to him over the phone.

Sonic immediately busted out all the ways he could think of to say sorry and begged her to let him make it up to her. "What do you say? Please? I'm still here so I don't mind waiting a while longer." He pleaded and crossed his fingers.

She thought it over weighing the pros and cons in her head. "Alright. I'll be there in an hour, is that too long?"

"Perfect! That's perfect. I'll see you then." Sonic waited until she hung up before he let out a breath of relief. Thank god! His heart had been beating almost as fast as he could run. Not ten minutes after he had finally calmed down did he look out from his spot by the window to see none other than Amy walking up the street. "Amy? What is she doing here?" When he saw her waving he lifted his hand only to put it back down when he saw another hand shoot up.

* * *

Amy waved to her friend as she neared the cafe. "Shadow! I'm over here!" She called out excitedly as she ran toward him.

"Rose! It took you long enough!" He waved back and chuckled at her scurrying to see him. Looking at her he noticed something was off. "Did you do something?" He looked her up and down trying to figure out what it was. "You look different."

Blushing Amy nodded slightly. "A little bit. I decided not to put on makeup today. I also decided to use my new jacket." She giggled as she hugged herself in the jacket he had given her.

"So that's what it is. It's a good look on you. The jacket is too." He smirked the moment he saw the blush come to her cheeks. Following his teasing came a stinging sensation to his arm. "Ow! Okay, okay! I'll stop." He chuckled as he rubbed the arm she had just punched.

Sticking her tongue out at him she walked across to the cafe. "I told you not to say things like that! You might give people the wrong idea about us. Now come on I'm starving! And just for that you can pay!" She smiled mockingly at him before running in.

Following close behind Shadow couldn't help but stare at her happy face and rosy cheeks. Yet again he had found himself admiring his friend. **I wonder why she's not wearing make up today? She looks great without it. I'll have to ask later.** "Come on let's pick a table and order something. You're not the only one who is starving." He nearly gasped when there was suddenly weight on his arm.

"Right!" Amy had grabbed his arm and began looking around for a good table. Unaware of the blushing hedgehog next to her she continued to walk around the cafe with him like that until she saw someone that caught her eyes. "Sonic? What's he doing here?"

Snapping out of his trance Shadow looked to where she had spotted the blue hedgehog. He was sitting alone at a table with flowers and a bag. As soon as the two waved and she started dragging him over he groaned within himself. **Oh great.** He wasn't entirely sure why, but he didn't like when Sonic was around. More specifically when he was around Amy.

* * *

 ** _Just hang on a tiny bit more, then the new chapter will be out!_**


	17. Strange Feelings

"Sonic! Hi!" Amy started off, pleasantly surprised to see him. As he stood up she gave him a quick hug. "What are you doing here?" She smiled at him, waiting for an answer.

Sonic straightened himself and tried to relax a little. "Well I'm actually seeing Sally here in a little while." He was a bit embarrassed about the reason behind it so he didn't tell them. Clearing his throat he searched his brain for a switch in topic. Seeing Shadow somehow helped him find another topic. "Oh by the way, that cake you gave me, who made it?"

Amy's eyes lit up excitedly. "I did! Cream showed me how, but that was one of the last ones I had made. It wasn't too bad was it? I hadn't really baked a cake like that before." Her face quickly turned to doubt and worry.

Giving a quick light-hearted laugh he waved his hands. "Not at all. It was great! That was probably the best cake I had ever tasted." Patting his stomach he laughed cheerfully. For some reason or another he couldn't help himself from glancing at the other hedgehog just to see his rection.

After a few more minutes Shadow decided it was time to get the show on the road. "Hey Rose, I don't mean to interrupt, but do you think we could grab a bite now?" He didn't want to be rude and he was getting rather hungry. "We should probably hurry up if we plan on getting to that thing you wanted to go to."

Blushing with embarrassment she nodded. "You're right! Sorry about that! Well I'll see you later Sonic! Let Sally know that I said hi!" With that she left him with another quick hug.

* * *

Sitting down Shadow ordered them some drinks. As he looked up from his menu he almost couldn't hold himself back from laughing. "You know what you want yet?" He looked at her as she was in a daze over all the options.

"This place has everything! I feel kind of bad though." She hid behind her menu sheepishly. "I almost feel like I'm cheating on Cream." She looked down almost filled with guilt.

"Is that because we came to this cafe instead of her bakery?" Shadow raised an eyebrow, but didn't need her to say a thing to know that he was right. "You worry too much. Now hurry up and order or I will order for you." He teased her light heartedly as she began to search the menu. When the waitress came by it ended up being Shadow who ordered all their food. Once she left he shook his head at Amy. "Really?"

With red cheeks she tried to keep her cool. "W-what? Don't give me that look!" She tried to look away from him, but couldn't. "If you're going to accuse me of something you can at least tell me what it is." She stuck her tongue out at him and tried to play her blush off as frustration.

Shadow gave a hearty laugh at the pinkette in front of him. "I never would have pictured you as the shy type. You couldn't get one word out for yourself." He laughed almost to tears at her innocence.

"Oh just you wait Shadow! I'm gonna get you back for making fun of me." She glared, but laughed with him. "Anyways, are you excited for later?" A big smile found its way back on her face.

Calming down he thought about the little evening they had planned. "I don't know. I've never really done anything like that. It's a little strange." He looked back to Amy who was pouting. **Why does she have to give me those eyes? I swear she knows I hate seeing her like that!** Scratching the back of his head he let a sigh of defeat escape him. "Who am I to judge though? If you say it will be fun then I believe you." He gave her a small smile and thanked god that their food arrived before his eardrums blew.

After they finished Amy ran out ahead, excited for the night they had planned. Spinning around she expected to see Shadow right behind her. Instead she saw him across the street talking to Sonic. She watched him walk over to her with a strange expression on his face. "Everything okay Shadow?"

Her voice snapped him out of his trance and he apologized for spacing out. "Everything is fine, don't worry about it. Come on I parked just around the corner." Leading the way he looked back to make sure she was following only to blush and snap his eyes forwards after meeting hers. **Why is she staring at me?**

Noticing his reaction she couldn't help but wonder if he truly was okay. "Hey, Shadow you weren't lying to me were you? You would tell me if something was wrong with you right?" She tugged on his arm ever so slightly.

 **What is going on with me?** Doing his best to ignore the strange feeling he was having he cleared his throat. "Yeah I'm fine Rose. Why? Are you really that worried about me?" He teased her hoping to distract her from asking more questions.

Her face instantly turned red and she punched him in the arm. "I'm not worried! Jeez! You're really asking for it aren't you?" She fumed as they made it to his truck. She hopped in, moving the basket from the seat on to her lap. "You know you can be such a pain sometimes."

Rolling his eyes he held back his laughter. "You all set to go there miss Not Worried?" He mocked her playfully as he turned on the vehicle.

* * *

The entire way down to their destination they were taking turns poking fun at each other. Although mostly it was Shadow teasing her and then Amy punching him for doing so. By the time they had parked and gotten out, they had forgotten what it was that they were originally talking about. It was almost dark out by the time they had reached Amy's spot. They were at a playground where a carnival was going on. It had been a while since she had been there and they were holding fireworks that night.

Putting the basket down and taking out a blanket Amy hummed to herself happily. "Shadow hurry up!" She waved him over, taking a seat on the blanket.

Arching a brow Shadow shook his head. "You do know the fireworks don't start for another hour right?" He took a spot next to her and watched the people having fun down at the carnival. "So what do we do? Just sit and talk or what?" Looking back to her he watched as she rummaged through her pockets before finally taking out her phone. "What are you doing?"

With an almost devilish grin she ignored his question. "I'll be right back. Stay here okay?" With that she got up and left.

 **What in the devil is that girl up to? Whatever.** Deciding not to dwell on it he laid back on the blanket with one hand behind his head and the other across his stomach. He decided that at some point he must have fallen asleep because he was startled by the sound of something clicking above him. "What the heck? Rose? What are you doing?" He looked to her wondering what her goofy smile was all about before noticing the camera on her phone. There was a little green light on next to it. "Hey give it here!" Getting up he growled at her playfully trying to grab her phone.

"No way! These pictures are priceless! You're far too laid back Shadow!" Amy snickered as she shut her phone. Giggling at her success she was shocked when two hands found themselves at her waist. "Huh?" Not a moment later did she find herself holding on to her phone for dear life as she squirmed, cried and laughed.

"Give me the phone Rose and I'll stop!" Shadow playfully threatened her while tickling her sides. The more she struggled against him the more determined he was to continue. "All you have to do to make me stop is hand over the phone.

Giggling with tears in her eyes Amy refused. "Never!" Unable to control herself she kicked off the ground sending them both flying backwards. Getting the last of her giggles out she sat up, finding herself in his lap. "Just for that you have to take a picture with me!" Amy proclaimed and was pleased when he gave in.

"Fine, but I'm taking the pictures." Shadow swiped the phone from her hands and held it out in front of them. "Ready?" He snapped the first photo of them making silly faces. He kept going, each time making sure they had posed differently.

Amy was holding back a fit of giggles with each picture. It wasn't until he put his arm around her waist and held the phone further out that she started to feel her heart pound. **What is this? Why am I getting butterflies?** When he put his head on her shoulder she had thought for sure he could feel the heat coming off of her blushing face. "Alright my turn!" Taking her phone back she had them take a few more funny photos before putting it away.

"That was pretty fun. I never took pictures like that before." Shadow chuckled as he leaned back on his elbows.

Amy looked at him bewildered. "You've never taken silly pictures? Wow your life must be so boring!" She tried to shake off the feelings stirring inside her with some friendly banter.

"Yeah I guess so. Good thing I've got you then." He gave her a genuine smile. "You know how I was before, it wasn't great. I owe all the progress I've made to you. Thank you Rose. I really enjoy all our hangouts. And your goofy expressions." Giving a light hearted laugh he looked to the sky where the fireworks were supposed to start shortly.

Somehow instead of calming down Amy ended up blushing harder than before. **This is too much.** She crawled up next to him as they waited for the fireworks display.

"Oh! Hey I just remembered something. I wanted to ask you earlier, why did you decide not where any makeup today?" It wasn't that important, but he still found himself wondering about it. She always wore some sort of make up and yet today she wore nothing. Not that he was complaining.

Feeling her heart skip a beat she turned her face away from him. "I don't really know." **Stupid heart stop beating so loudly! I hope he can't see how red my face is right now. Can he? Maybe I should put my hood up?** "I mean, I guess its because of what you said before. That thing about not wearing makeup or something about too much I don't really remember." It wasn't like her to lie, but she didn't know how to say it.

"Really? I didn't mean anything negative by it if that's why you did it." He was starting to get concerned. He knew far too many girls that took things to heart that meant nothing. "It's refreshing though. You're much prettier without any. I'm glad I got to see you without it today." It was the truth, but he couldn't stop the crimson heat coming to his face as he said it.

Staring up at her best friend Amy felt a pull. Biting her lip she looked at him, searching his ruby eyes, but for what she wasn't sure. "Shadow can I ask you something?"

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 _ **One more chapter to edit then you will be getting a brand new one!**_


	18. More Than Friends

**What are you doing Amy!?** Her heart was racing and she couldn't seem to find the words. "Is there... you know... anyone you like?" Closing her eyes she tried to calm herself down.

Shadow turned his attention to her, feeling like he misheard or misunderstood what she had just asked. "What was that?" He looked at her waiting for her to ask again. **Did she really just...** "I-" Before he could say another word the fireworks started.

Amy did her best to ignore what he was saying and decided to change the subject. "Shadow, look! Aren't they beautiful?" Focusing on the fireworks she took out her phone to record them. Her plan to ignore what had just happened seemed to be working until she felt his arms snake around her waist once more. "Sh-Shadow! What are you doing?" Her face turned bright red almost instantly.

Pulling her close, he sat her in his lap. With his chest against her back he placed his head on top of hers and tightened his grip. "You know it's not fair to blindside me like that and then ignore me." He grumbled as he tried to keep his eyes fixed on the fireworks.

Tears started to fill her eyes. **Stupid Amy!** She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. The want to cry was building up in her and was almost too much for her. Afraid she would start if she tried to speak she opted to stay silent.

"If you would calm down for just a moment you would know there is someone I like." Seeing her ears twitch he lowered his voice just enough so that only she would hear him. "She's this gorgeous pink hedgehog who just happens to be perfect in every way." As he whispered in her ear he could feel his heart race. "On top of that she's a model who is way out of my league. The only weird thing about her is that she decided to be my bestfriend and I'm still not sure how that even happened."

With her heart racing at a million miles a second she sat there in disbelief at what she was hearing. Opening her mouth she found herself unable to make a sound. **Is this really happening right now?** Her heart felt like it was about to burst at any moment. "Shadow I-"

Without warning he turned her around in his lap so that she was facing him. After confirming how she felt from how red her face was he gave her a small genuine smile. **Please let me be reading her right...** Nervously he placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away. "It's you Rose. You're the one I like."

Still unable to speak she just hugged him and hid her face in the fluff on his chest. They stayed like that until the fireworks ended. After that he walked her back to the car and drove her home in silence. As they got to her place Amy finally found her breath and voice. "Shadow?" She leaned towards him and tugged on his sleeve before he could open his door. Not missing her chance she cut him off from whatever it was he was going to say. She kissed him, still a bit surprised that he kissed back. "I like you too." With that she hopped out of the truck with a quick goodnight and ran into her house.

Shadow was stunned, but smirked at her reactions. "Rose you truly are something else." He had so much going on in his head that it surprised him at how fast he seemed to have gotten home. In reality it was pretty late, but he was too caught up in the night's events to notice.

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Finally back to her senses Amy texted the girls about meeting up. She had a lot to tell them. Getting ready for bed she decided to go over the pictures and video from earlier. Upset that she had turned the camera away from the fireworks she was about to delete the video when she heard Shadow's voice. **No way!** Playing it back and raising the volume she heard it all over again. She may not have gotten the fireworks, but she did get an audio recording of Shadow's confession. Thinking back to the kiss she couldn't help but smile. The moment was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her phone. Scrambling to compose herself she answered it as normally as possible.

"Hey, what's up?" Amy looked over to her clock before continuing. "Its pretty late for you to still be up. You just getting back?" She was doing her best to be calm and cheerful.

On the other side of the line there was silence. It stayed like that for a few minutes before they decided to speak up. "Sorry for calling so late, but do you think I could come over?"

A sense of worry overcame her and Amy agreed. She waited an hour before her doorbell rang. Rushing over she opened the door and ushered her friend in. "Is everything okay?"

Coming in, the figure in the doorway stepped into the light. "Thanks for doing this Ames. I don't know what I'd do without you." Sonic gave her a forced smile as he stood there nervously.

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 **Done editing! Next update will be a new chapter! Coming by later tonight because my hubby is dragging me out to go shopping... XP**


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